Nukuri riding wave, poised for a strong Boston

By Chris Lotsbom, @ChrisLotsbom for Dyestat 

BOSTON -- Chances are that if you’re a distance running fan, you’ve seen Diane Nukuri race a marathon once or twice. 

At 32, the Flagstaff, Ariz. resident and Burundi native is a veteran of double-digit marathons, plus countless more road races. 

“I lost count. I think it may be close to 13 or 15 (marathons),” she said following a third-place finish March 19 at the United Airlines NYC Half. 

The 121st Boston Marathon on April 17 will indeed be Nukuri’s 13th marathon overall, and she’s hoping it’ll be a lucky one. 

A bubbly, yet fiercely competitive runner, Nukuri completed yet another strong race in New York City, coming within a second of her half-marathon best. Finishing third in 69 minutes, 13 seconds behind Molly Huddle and Emily Sisson, Nukuri couldn’t help but be happy. She knew the time bode well for Boston. 

No woman from Burundi has ever won Boston, let alone placed first at any of the Abbott World Marathon Major races (Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin, Tokyo, London, the Olympics and World Championships). 

Yes, Nukuri’s 2:27:50 personal best might be minutes behind the likes of Boston course record holder Buzunesh Deba (2:19:59), Kenyan contender and close friend Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50), and American Des Linden (2:22:38). 

But she’s riding a wave of strong races that could carry her close to – or perhaps onto – the podium come Patriots’ Day. (Don't forget, Linden had a nearly identical personal-best 2:27:53 a year and a half before striking it big with her 2011 runner-up Boston showing). 

Nukuri says the biggest reason for her continued success and steady improvement is mileage. She’s logging more miles than ever before, all at 6,900 feet altitude in Flagstaff. 

“It’s just about consistency and hard work. I’m looking forward to Boston because I’ve been doing a lot more longer tempos and long runs than I’ve done before. It’ll be exciting to see,” she said in New York. 

“This time, we’ve been kind of building up. I’ve been doing marathons for the last couple years now (since 2010). A couple weeks ago, I did my first 24-miler in Flagstaff, and that’s almost basically running a marathon. That’s the first time I’ve done it. Before, my longest one was 21 miles. I’ve done – a little over a week ago – a 20-mile long run and I’ve been doing a lot more. Last week I got up to 110 miles, that’s more than I’ve ever done before... It’s all about effort.” 

Nukuri has steadily improved since her 2010 debut at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, when she ran 2:39:09 for 20th. 

At the London Olympics in 2012, Nukuri set a national record of 2:30:13, one she’d lower again in 2013 at Boston. For all the highs that came with running a national-best 2:29:54 in Boston and finishing eighth, they vanished in an instant as soon as a pair of bombs rattled the finish line on Boylston Street. 

“It was an emotional and sad day for me and for everyone, but I love how everyone came together that day. I want to run Boston again and experience the joy of running, instead of a heartbreak,” she told members of John Hancock Financial, who organize Boston’s elite athlete team, as quoted in this year’s race media guide. 

Fast forward four years and Nukuri’s ready to line up in Hopkinton once again. If her last marathon was any indication – a fifth-place, 2:33:04 showing in New York in November — then Boston will be special. That was her highest placing ever in an Abbott World Marathon Major event. 

“Now I feel like I have the experience and the strength,” she said. “It’s really encouraging what I’ve been doing the last couple weeks. I’m not banged up, and that’s good. I’m excited to see what happens in Boston.” 

Nukuri remembered dealing with a nagging foot injury and the usual butterflies before the big race in New York. She put the anxiety aside, though, and rose to the occasion. 

Now with Boston approaching, she’s healthy and aiming for more. 

“Last year in New York, I came in with a little injury in my foot. I wasn’t sure (what would happen). A lot of people come in with issues like that and stuff. I just want to be healthy and get to the line healthy. It’s all about how if you’re healthy and strong, it’ll take care of itself. Of course I’d love top five, top three or to win. I just want to go there and just...,” she began, taking a slight pause to let the thought of a top finish in Boston settle in.

“Knowing what I’ve done the last couple months, basically since New York (City Marathon), I’ve been building up just to get to this half, and then Boston. It’s one step at a time. My time will eventually come. I know I’ve been working hard. And if it doesn’t, then I know I’ve done everything I can.”