WEBSTER CITY – The jersey was a bright gold with large purple letters, surely hard to miss despite the thousands of runners and fans who packed into Boston for the country’s most celebrated marathon on Monday, April 18.

It wasn’t easy to get either. A personal request through Asics was granted to get it made and, just like that, Webster City was well represented in the Boston Marathon.

It’s been years since Sunil Hanoman has physically called Webster City home. Carol Stream, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, holds that distinction now, but Hanoman won’t allow his roots to be forgotten.

“I definitely wanted to represent where I came from. I was born and raised in Webster City and the town is near and dear to my heart,” Hanoman, a 1995 Webster City High School graduate, said. “I ran cross country starting as a sophomore for Coach (Tony) Bussan … if it wasn’t for Bussan and the cross country program, I never would have gotten into running in the first place.”

Hanoman’s first appearance – but perhaps not his last – in the Boston Marathon has left a lasting impression. From the estimated 30,000 runners to the hoards of fans who lined the streets throughout the 26.2-mile excursion, Hanoman experienced the rush of adrenaline that accompanies the grueling trek.

“There are so many people that it’s amazing to just be a part of it,” Hanoman, 39, said. “To go out there and see all of the people from around the world, it was a little bit overwhelming for me. It’s a situation that I don’t think I could ever replicate.”

An avid triathlete, Hanoman delved into marathon running in September of 2014 at the Fox Valley Marathon in suburban Chicago. He completed that course in 3 hours, 3 minutes and 50 seconds, and placed 10th out of 1,000 runners. It was good enough to qualify him for Boston.

“I’ve built up my endurance over the last 10 years because I wanted to get to Boston,” Hanoman said. “It took me a while to decide to do it, but I figured why not give it a shot.”

Hanoman went to Boston with the goal of finishing in 2:55:00 and at the halfway point was on pace to break three hours. But the hilly terrain and elevated temperatures in the 70’s began to take a toll around the 18-mile mark.

“I started getting cramps and I just didn’t finish strong,” he said.

Still, the man in the bright gold Webster City jersey pushed to the end and crossed the finish line in 3:23:50 to place 5,916th, which housed him in the top 20 percent of the field.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

But why try to tackle Boston?

“If you have dreams and goals and passions, just pursue it,” Hanoman, a 2015 All-American in the triathlon, said. “You’re never too old to figure it out.”

In the minutes following his run, Hanoman says he was adamant that his marathon career was finished. But he’s had some time to reflect and, well, never say never.

“Yeah, I think I probably will,” he said. “I’d like to try to get back to Boston again.”

And so Hanoman will get back to work. With his wife, Gopi, and young children – Kiran, 3, and Sarin, 5 – in his corner, Hanoman will start to pound the pavement again sometime in the near future. It’s what he loves to do.

“My wife has been a huge support and my parents (Ron and Chandra Hanoman, Webster City) inspired me to be a hard worker,” he said. “Again, a lot of that comes back to my roots in Webster City. I had great coaches and teachers.”

If he does get the itch and once again qualifies for Boston, will the Lynx replica jersey make a repeat appearance as well?

Stay tuned.