BOSTON MARATHON HAD 98 PERCENT COMPLETION RATE

THE BOSTON GLOBE

Monday’s wretched Patriots Day weather – raw, rainy and windy – couldn’t daunt the 27,165 runners who started the 119th Boston Marathon. All but 555 of them crossed the Boylston Street finish line before the timing clock was switched off, a 98 percent completion rate. Of 30,250 registrants, 27,506 picked up their bib numbers and only 341 of them didn’t make it to the Hopkinton starting line. Virtually all of the 9,000 race volunteers turned up and went the distance as well.

“Actually, not a bad year,” race director Dave McGillivray concluded at Tuesday morning’s traditional wrapup press conference at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. “Although it was uncomfortable, it was not dangerous.”

Medical staffers treated 1,300 runners either on the course or inside the finish-line tents.

“Most of them were more cold than they were sick,” said McGillivray. “The main issue was obviously hypothermia.”

Of those treated, 32 were transported to local hospitals, where only two were kept overnight.

“We had more medical personnel (1,600) than we treated runners,” McGillivray said. “Pretty amazing.”

The finish line also served as a starting line for several couples.

“There were three marriage proposals,” McGillivray said. “Some day maybe we’re going to have some weddings, maybe we’ll have a birth or two. As long as we don’t have any divorces ...”