BEVERLY — Morgan McGarry once thought of running simply as a way to stay in shape for boxing.
McGarry, 34, of Beverly eventually began to focus more on running and completed the 2015 Boston Marathon on Monday. In his first time competing in the iconic race, McGarry finished in 3 hours and 13 minutes — a 7:22-mile pace.
"I didn't know what to expect," said McGarry, who works as a Chicago firefighter in Uptown.
McGarry is the son of Martin McGarry, an Irish-born boxing coach who has trained hundreds of fighters in a makeshift gym behind his Beverly home.
The tough-as-nails father was in Boston to cheer on his son on Monday, as was Morgan's wife, Meghan, and their children, Fiona, 3, and Kieran, 4.
Martin McGarry made the trip despite his battle with amyloidosis — a rare genetic disorder that causes the liver to produce proteins that attack the heart, kidneys and other organs.
Morgan McGarry said his dad was doing well enough to make the trip to Boston. Morgan added that he's now training fighters, too — just like his dad.
A group of about six other couples that Morgan McGarry met though the Chicago Fire Department's training academy also made the trip. They made special posters and visited a firehouse in Boston during their stay.
This is the seventh marathon for Morgan McGarry. He qualified for the Boston race after running the 2013 Chicago Marathon in 3 hours and 1 minute.
"In Boston, the course is a little different as far as being hilly," said McGarry, adding that the crowd helped to push him along the course on a rainy day.
"It was inspiring to see everyone out there," he said.
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