Tom Lilleyman, Bryan Register and Beth Krapac huddled under a tent for hours Monday morning, trying to stay out of the wind, rain and 40-degree temperatures.

When the time came, however, the three Vicksburg residents ventured into the elements with a smile on their faces and had the time of their lives as they ran the 119th Boston Marathon.

“It was everything a bucket list item should be,” Lilleyman said. “This is an experience I’m probably not going to get the opportunity to do again. It was as it should be. I’m running along the same course some of the best runners in the world have competed on.”

He also got to do it alongside some of his best friends.

Lilleyman made the trip with his training partners Register and Krapac. The trio has spent months running through the Vicksburg National Military Park preparing for one of the world’s most prestigious races.

“I want to say thank you to all of my friends that have spent two years running with me,” Lilleyman, a native of Great Britain, said before rattling off a dozen names besides Register and Krapac. “I registered myself as a U.S. citizen and as being from Vicksburg. We call ourselves ‘Park People,’ those of us who run in the park, and I feel very proud to be a Park Person.”

Register shared a similar sentiment. In addition to Lilleyman and Krapac, he was able to reunite with former running partners Dan Cherry and Tommy Brauer. Both are former Vicksburg residents who worked for the Corps of Engineers and moved to other assignments. Cherry moved last year after he, Lilleyman and Register had made a pact to qualify for Boston.

“I know it’s cliché, but I would like to thank the Lord for the ability to run, and for giving me such great running friends to train with and share this experience with,” Register said. “It really wouldn’t have been as special without having everyone here together.”

Lilleyman, Register and Krapac made the trip to Boston together, but were split up once the race was set to begin. With more than 32,000 people in the field, the Boston Marathon staggers runners into groups to control traffic on the course.

Lilleyman, who qualified for Boston with a time of just over three hours, was in one of the first waves. That allowed him to hobnob with some of the elite runners who started and finished near the front. The race was won by Ethiopian Lelisa Disisa in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 17 seconds.

“Literally from the moment I crossed the starting line, I was getting passed. I didn’t pass a single person,” Lilleyman said with a laugh.

Desisa’s time was more than an hour ahead of Lilleyman, who finished in 3:26:05. Lilleyman suffered a stress fracture in his left foot earlier this year and, although he’s recovered from it, he said the effect it had on his training became obvious by the halfway point of the race.

“It doesn’t even matter. I’m just thankful to finish,” he said. “I haven’t been able to train properly because of my foot, and I haven’t got the stamina in my leg muscles.”

Krapac and Register were much further back in the pack. Krapac finished in 3:49:58 — her best time in three trips to the race.

Register said he was disappointed with his time of 3:54:57. A long wait in the rain for his wave to start the race, some tactical errors and bad weather all conspired to slow him down. His finishing time was more than a half-hour slower than his qualifying time.

“You have to adjust your goals depending on the conditions, and I didn’t do that. You can start too fast, and that’s what I did. I was on pace around the halfway mark, then ran out of gas,” Register said. “I think if I did it again, I would do better the next time.”

The end of the race and today’s flight home marked the end of an era for all three runners. Lilleyman, the British liaison officer at ERDC, will leave the country when his assignment ends next month. Cherry and Brauer will return home to Ohio and California, respectively, while Register and Krapac will continue to zip through the Military Park.

Getting the gang back together for one last blowout made it a day to remember forever, Register said.

“I’m really glad I did it. The best part was getting to see friends. I really enjoyed it. I’m disappointed with my time, but I had fun,” Register said. “It’s just bittersweet because it’s the last time I’ll see these guys.”