17 April, 2022
The Hopkinton Marathon Committee has selected three local public servants, two recently retired, to serve as starters of Waves Two, Three, and Four of the 2022 Boston Marathon. The trio of Hopkinton residents has worked for the Town of Hopkinton for a combination of more than eight decades.
Two of the starters, Phil Powers and Mary Carver, retired earlier this year from their positions as Hopkinton Police Department School Resource Officer and Hopkinton Fire Department Administrative Assistant, respectively. Mike Mansir works for the Hopkinton Department of Public Works as Highway Manager and serves as the DPW’s representative on the Hopkinton Marathon Committee.
Powers will fire the starter’s pistol for Wave Two, Mansir for Wave Three, and Carver for Wave Four.
The Hopkinton Marathon Committee has selected starters for the later waves of the Boston Marathon, since the Boston Athletic Association introduced the wave start in 2006.
“We’ve been honored to choose starters for the Boston Marathon,” said Dorothy Ferriter-Wallace, Hopkinton Marathon Committee chairperson. “This year we have selected three individuals with longtime ties to the town of Hopkinton and to departments vital to the successful running of the Boston Marathon. Phil Powers, Mike Mansir, and Mary Carver have given many years of service to the town and we wanted to recognize them and their departments for all they do for the town and for the Boston Marathon.”
Powers will be working for the Hopkinton Police Department on Patriots’ Day for the 35th year when he starts Wave 2. He served in the U.S. Air Force before becoming an Auxiliary Police Officer in Upton, then worked full-time for the Hopkinton Police Department from 1987 until retiring in January. For most of those years, he worked as a School Resource Officer, and has become known as Officer Phil, or “O.P.” to Hopkinton students. Over his years of involvement with the Boston Marathon, Powers said he most enjoyed, “Meeting and talking to people from all over the world, as well as the spirit and the positivity of the runners.”
Mansir, a Hopkinton native, has been involved with 25 Boston Marathons. “In my position as the Highway Manager & the DPW Representative on the Marathon Committee I would have to say the most challenging aspect of the marathon is coordinating and overseeing all of the work that goes into preparing for the marathon and cleaning up and breaking everything down after the marathon is over,” said Mansir. He will take a short break from his Marathon-related tasks to start Wave Three.
Carver, also a Hopkinton native, retired in February after 25 years as Administrative Assistant for the Hopkinton Fire Department, one of the town departments closely involved in planning the public safety related to the marathon. One of her specific duties was helping to secure permits from the HFD for vendors setting up in town for the Marathon. She will be starting Wave Four. “I am honored,” she said. “My family is very excited.”
START TIMES
DIVISION/PROGRAM
START TIME*
Military March
6:00 a.m. ET
Men's Wheelchair
9:02 a.m. ET
Women's Wheelchair
9:05 a.m. ET
Handcycles & Duos
9:30 a.m. ET
Professional Men
9:37 a.m. ET
Professional Women
9:45 a.m. ET
Para Athletics Division
9:50 a.m. ET
Wave 1
10:00 a.m. ET
Wave 2
10:25 a.m. ET
Wave 3
10:50 a.m. ET
Wave 4
11:15 a.m. ET
The Hopkinton Marathon Committee was established in 1979 to work in conjunction with the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), the organizers of the Boston Marathon, to ensure that the annual running of the race is an exciting, successful and safe event for all concerned. Committee members contribute their efforts throughout the entire year to the planning, organization, and coordination of multiple facets of the race, working to protect the best interests and welfare of the town, its residents, businesses and visitors.
