Matt Kenseth hasn’t been behind the wheel during a NASCAR Cup Series race since the 2020 season, but it’s no surprise he’s staying active, including racing in some non-NASCAR events.
Outside of motor sports, Kenseth has had some unbelievable athletic feats, including, a few years ago with a couple other NASCAR drivers, tackling what’s known as The Assault on Mt. Mitchell — a 102.7-mile bike ride with an ascension of more than 10,000 feet.
But Monday, Kenseth finished the Boston Marathon, which is an incredible 26.2-mile accomplishment by itself.
But the 50-year-old retired NASCAR driver and 2003 Cup Series champ did it at an amazing pace too, finishing with a time of three hours, one minute and 40 seconds, per the Boston Athletic Association. That averages out to less than a seven-minute mile — or six minutes, 56 seconds per mile to be exact.
Nascar legend Matt Kenseth just finished the Boston Marathon and finished strong. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/8azCZtxsv7
— STEVE BURTON (@STEVEBURTONWBZ) April 18, 2022
Kenseth finished overall in 3,576th place and was 141st in his division, men ages 50-54.
In a post-race interview with CBS Boston, Kenseth was asked about the most challenging part of this marathon after he said he completed the Chicago Marathon in October. Describing Monday’s feat as “one of the better experiences in my life,” Kenseth said:
“I think just pacing yourself in the beginning. There are such big crowds, and you couldn’t really pass people, which was kind of good. It kind of held me back. I think the biggest challenge is just not to kill your quads in all those downhills. It was so different than any other marathon I’ve ran and saving something for the end, so once I got over the top of Heartbreak Hill, I actually felt really great and turned it on. And I finished really strong, so I was happy with that.”
So how does that compare with other NASCAR drivers who have recently completed the Boston Marathon?
In 2019, then-43-year-old Jimmie Johnson — who has since retired from NASCAR and is now competing in the IndyCar Series — finished Boston’s 26.2-miler in three hours, nine minutes and seven seconds for a 7:13-minute mile average.
In the 2021 Boston Marathon — which was held in October as the result of COVID-19 complications — retired driver then-39-year-old Danica Patrick finished her 26.2 miles in four hours, one minute and 21 seconds for a 9:13-minute mile pace.
When CBS Boston told Kenseth he beat Johnson’s time, Kenseth joked: “Yeah, he was way younger.”
Cheering on my buddy @mattkenseth and all of the other runners in the #BostonMarathon today! #throwback pic.twitter.com/W7jCF9ESNj
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) April 18, 2022
