Curious Who Was Last Runner To Cross Boston Marathon Finish Line

BOSTON (CBS) -- While most of the world focused on the winners of the Boston Marathon, not everyone was racing to win. They simply wanted to finish.

Jean in Leyden Declared her Curiosity asking, "Who was the last person to finish the marathon? How long did it take?"

Well, the last Massachusetts resident to officially finish the marathon came in at six hours, five minutes and 17 seconds. And his name is Frank Knippenberg.

His time was almost exactly how long it took for the top three finishers – combined.

WBZ-TV's David Wade reports.

Knippenberg said the biggest battle he had on Marathon Monday was with blisters. Though the students at Boston College weren't much nicer than his aching feet.

"Just run faster." "Why aren't you doing better?" "The guy in front is better." "The old man just passed you." Those are just some of the things he said he heard as he passed the school on Commonwealth Avenue.

There were other runners behind Knippenberg, but he crossed the finish line at 4:53 p.m. and just minutes later race officials shut off the official clock and stopped counting runners.

Knippenberg was running for Children's Hospital and raised $5,000 for the hospital on his own.

"Together, as a team, we raised more than $1.3 million," he said.

And for the guy who finished in 23,859th place, that's all that matters.

If you'd like to donate to Kippenberg's Marathon fund, there's still time.  They're accepting contributions until May 18.