Bill Farquhar, dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21.

Health Sciences dean runs Boston Marathon

Article by Amy Cherry Photos courtesy of Bill Farquhar April 22, 2025

Bill Farquhar fulfills lifelong dream of conquering the world’s most iconic marathon

As Bill Farquhar, dean of the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences, powered up Heartbreak Hill — often considered the most grueling stretch of the Boston Marathon — he thought to his surprise, “This isn’t bad at all.”

“With so many people around you, you just pull each other up,” he said.

The iconic, steep half-mile climb comes in the race's final stretch, when many runners hit a wall, making those last six miles especially challenging.

“I felt great the first 20 miles, and the last six were tougher, and my pace slowed, but that’s pretty normal for any marathon,” he said.

Boston’s hilly course differs significantly from the Rehoboth Marathon’s flat course, which Farquhar has run the past three years. In 2023, he finished the Rehoboth race in 3 hours and 21 minutes — comfortably under the 3:30 qualifying time for the Boston Marathon.

Farquhar has been a distance runner, competing in high school and college, and racing regularly for the past decade. Reaching Boston has always been a dream.

“The Boston Marathon is on the bucket list of every distance runner,” Farquhar said. “With temperatures in the low 50s, I felt great the entire time. The race has so much energy — lots of music, cheering and encouragement all along the way. I’m really glad I did it.”

He finished the race in 3:42, averaging an 8:29 mile pace.

His wife, Kelly, cheered him on as he crossed the festive finish line on Boylston Street in his trusty, original Nike 4% marathon shoes.

“Fitness is extremely important to Bill, so I am happy to see him fulfill his dream of running the Boston Marathon,” Kelly Farquhar said. “It makes it more special because we lived there once, and our oldest was born there.”

Running is social

Running the Boston Marathon was always a personal goal for Farquhar, but he couldn’t have gotten there alone.

Farquhar ran the 26.2-mile course alongside some of his Pike Creek Running Club friends. The group took a bus to Boston two days before the marathon and trained together for a year before the race. Together, they run on Tuesday nights at the St. Mark’s High School track and on the weekends for long- or medium-distance runs in White Clay Creek State Park.

Farquhar (left) with other marathoners, who also rode the bus to Massachusetts, wrapped in foil blankets to help regulate body temperature after the race.

“I run five to six days a week,” he said. “I like to run along the C&D Canal alongside the water, too.”

Farquhar completed only one 20-mile run leading up to Boston, which wasn’t ideal. Though he had hoped to get in more long runs, life gets in the way — being dean keeps him busy — and the flu didn’t help.

“That really set me back. I missed 10 days of training. I was tracking well for a personal record (PR) at Boston, but then I became focused on simply finishing the race,” he said.

That changed his mindset and made the race more fun.

“Trying to hit a time adds stress,” Farquhar said. “I wasn’t focused on that and soaked up the scenery instead.”

The night before the race, Farquhar fueled up on pasta. The morning of the race, he had a bowl of cereal with a banana and lots of water. He’s learned key lessons from past races, like never sitting down immediately after a marathon and not starting off too fast.

“During my first marathon in Rehoboth, I fell apart the last four miles, and it made me realize I had to train harder and pace myself better. I can’t start too fast, or I’ll pay for it on those last few miles,” he said. “The downhills in Boston are surprisingly tough on the legs.”

Farquhar says he would gladly run the world’s most famous marathon again if he qualifies. He also hopes to run the New York City Marathon one day.

“It’s fun to have something to aim for, and having multiple races on my calendar motivates me to run year-round, even when it’s hot,” Farquhar said.

For most of Farquhar’s life, running has been an enormous stress-reliever.

“We’re all busy and have stressful jobs,” Farquhar said. “Having a focus outside of work is mentally healthy, and you always feel better after a workout.”