Grand Rapids Man Places 7th in Boston Marathon

Grand Rapids native and Rockford High School graduate, Dathan Ritzenhein had a strong showing in the 119th Boston Marathon, finishing in seventh place Monday afternoon, WZZM-13 reported.

Ritzenhein, 32, is an accomplished long distance runner who held the American record in the 5,000 meters (12:56.27) from 2009–10, according to Wikipedia.

After being a standout runner at Rockford High School, Ritzenhein went on to compete at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Ritzenhein's Twitter account describes him as "Dad, Husband, and professional distance runner".

According to the Boston Athletic Association website, which tracks runners in the marathon, Ritzenhein finished with a time of 2:11:20.

Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia finished first, with a time of 2:11:17.

Desisa also won the race in 2013, just hours before a pair of bombs exploded at the finish line. He returned after the attacks to donate his medal to the city in memory of the victims.

Caroline Rotich of Kenya won the women's race with a time of 2:24:55, according to the race's facebook page.