‘Greatest runner ever’ from Bristol

John Ratier completes 35th consecutive Boston Marathon

By Manuel C. “Manny” Correira
Posted 4/23/17

One thing about Bristol native John Ratier, he’ll always go that extra mile. This remarkable athlete, who’ll turn 60 in October, just completed his 35th consecutive Boston Marathon, a …

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‘Greatest runner ever’ from Bristol

John Ratier completes 35th consecutive Boston Marathon

Posted

One thing about Bristol native John Ratier, he’ll always go that extra mile. This remarkable athlete, who’ll turn 60 in October, just completed his 35th consecutive Boston Marathon, a personal feat that boggles the mind.

“Actually, I ran with a guy Monday who completed his 50th consecutive Boston Marathon,” he said. “So, I was far from setting any type of record.”

Now living in South Carolina, Mr. Ratier started his running odyssey some 38 years ago. Like today, he put in countless hours and many miles as part of his training regimen. He was and still is as dedicated to the sport as anyone, past or present.

A 1975 graduate of the former Bristol High School, John Ratier also studied marketing at Roger Williams College. For the last five years, he’s been a national sales manager for a rheumatology reference lab.

“I started running on the beach in Middletown many years ago, and later, teamed up with a group of local guys who ran regularly,” he recalled. “I have sustained a few injuries along the way, including a torn Achilles tendon.”

Coming into this year’s Boston Marathon, Mr. Ratier had been out with a bad knee, but he made the most of his opportunity to finish what is arguably the world’s most famous and grueling marathon.

“This was just a survival run,” he said. “It was not pretty. It was my longest run in the last month, so I will take what the Boston course gave me.”

Admittedly, Mr. Ratier had contemplated not entering this year’s race, but his wife made certain he saw it through.
“My wife talked me into it,” he confessed. “I’ll see if I do it again next year. Most likely, I will, though.”

Mr. Ratier is also a proud member of the Boston Marathon Quarter Century Club; membership requires runners to have completed the Boston Marathon 25 times in a row. He’s been one of the event’s greatest ambassadors.

“I was interested in finishing the race this year and staying in the QC Club,” he said.

Not only has Mr. Ratier excelled in marathon races, but he also enjoys being a highly competitive tri-athlete. “Running, bicycling, and swimming are a great challenge, but running I enjoy most,” he said.

The son of Jack Ratier of Florida and the late Ann Ratier of Bristol, John Ratier has a slew of close friends here in town. One of them is Steve Annarummo.

“I got to know John back in the late 1970s when we started running during the running boom,” he said. “I've run many races with John over the years and all of us in the running community are in awe over John’s accomplishments. What really strikes out at you is his longevity, I mean 35 years toeing the line of the Boston Marathon, as well as running an incredible amount of triathlons, and well, it's just amazing. There are no shortcuts in running a race and John, based upon his accomplishments, is without a doubt the greatest runner ever from Bristol.”

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