Two young Livingston County runners post fast times at Boston Marathon

There’s something to be said about running a marathon while the legs are still young and fast.

The average age of people who do 26.2-mile races is in the early 40s, a point at which most runners have lost some of their natural leg speed.

Gavin White and Gabrielle Bolitho are new to the sport and fresh off their competitive racing careers, White at Columbia University and Bolitho at Brighton High School.

White and Bolitho posted two of the fastest times ever by Livingston County runners at the Boston Marathon during the 130th edition of the race on Monday, April 20.

White, a 23-year-old who ran for Pinckney and lives in Howell, completed the course from Hopkinton, Mass. to downtown Boston in 2 hours, 36 minutes and 28 seconds. It’s the fastest time by a county runner at Boston since Mike Camilleri of Howell ran the infamous 2013 race in 2:33:52.

White ran the first five kilometers in 17:25, a pace of 5:37 per mile. He hit the half marathon split in 1:13:40 and ran the second half, which includes the tough Newton Hills from miles 17-21, in 1:22:48.

A mix of runners and wheelchair racers crest the long rise of Heartbreak Hill during the 130th running of the Boston Marathon at Heartbreak Hill in Newton, Massachusetts, on Monday April 20, 2026.

Bolitho, a 20-year-old who isn’t competing in college, was the second county finisher and first woman in 3:10:47. In records going back to 2001, it’s the fastest time run by a woman from Livingston County at Boston. The next-fastest time during that period is a 3:14:23 run by Carrie Larscheid of Pinckney in 2015.

Bolitho hit the half marathon mark in 1:31:53 and ran the second 13.1 miles in 1:38:54.

“I definitely went out a little too fast,” she said. “I did everything everyone told me not to do. I feel like I was really consistent up until mile 20, then I hit Heartbreak Hill and definitely fell off a little bit.

“I felt like it went really well. It was super fun. It’s definitely one of the hardest things I’ve done, but there’s such good energy. The atmosphere was amazing and I had so much support from family, friends and so many people standing behind me, which made it special, too.”