Vermont handcyclist aims to defend title in the Boston Marathon [Video]

Two-time Boston Marathon Handcycle Champion Alicia Dana overcomes challenges far greater than “Heartbreak Hill.”A local New Englander winning the Boston Marathon three times might earn a statue in Newton. However, two-time winner in the women’s handcycle division (and course record holder) Alicia Dana has much more modest expectations as she attempts to earn her third wreath on Monday.Handcycle (a three-wheeled device propelled with a chain by hand) has taken longer to integrate into the American Marathon Circuit than the traditional “push rim” wheelchair, but major strides were made in Boston after the 2017 male handcycle winner went largely unacknowledged. The next year, 2018, Alicia Dana would compete for the first time and win the race, setting a woman’s course record under difficult weather conditions. That record was broken in 2022, but Dana returned to win and set a new course record in 2023. This year Dana is hoping to defend …