All 23 from Empire Runners Club complete course

The 23 members of Santa Rosa’s Empire Runners Club who qualified for the 112th Boston Marathon finished the race Monday with Santa Rosa’s Ty Strange, 47, leading the way in 2 hours, 56 minutes, 14 seconds.

Strange, a former conference MVP at the University of Portland, finished 804th among more than 21,950 finishers. Sebastopol’s Don Stewart, 47, finished in 3:01.42.

Seabastopol’s Brian Purcell, 51, a former record-breaking ultramarathoner who completed treatment for prostate cancer 10 months ago, finished in 3:03.49, ranking 66th in the men’s 50-59 age group, which had over 1,000 runners. Santa Rosa’s Brendan Hutchinson, 64, posted a time of 3:40.12, ranking 71st of 801 in the men’s 60-69 age group.

Healdsburg’s English Olney, 39, and Sebastopol’s Paul Berg, 52, were the only two Empire runners to post career-best times on Boston’s famously grueling course. Olney, running her fifth marathon, finished in 3:16.59. Berg, running his second marathon, finished in 3:23.52.

Larry Meredith, 50, the club’s training director, said the majority of the group had run its last marathon. Ten members are over 50 and 19 are over 40. Only four had run Boston before Monday.

"I think most of us are calling it quits," Meredith said. "We got our Boston medal, that’s the most important thing."

In addition to the members of the Empire Runners, at least 16 other Sonoma County residents finished the race. Forestville’s Richard Willets, 73, finished in 4:40.59. Healdsburg’s Pauline Rogers (3:50.02), 53, running her fifth Boston Marathon, ranked 112th of 833 runners in the women’s 50-59 age group. Sonoma’s Janet Cain (3:51.59), 57, ranked 136th.