Patriots show love for ex-teammate James Develin in Boston Marathon

James Develin's longest run in his NFL career was 31 yards. He ran nearly 1,500 times that distance Monday.

The former New England Patriots fullback participated in the 2021 Boston Marathon on Monday, completing the famous 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston's Boylston Street in 4 hours, 27 minutes and 17 seconds.

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Here's Develin just before the halfway mark looking spry while passing a Natick Dunkin' Donuts:

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Not too shabby for a 33-year-old retired fullback with a playing weight of 255 pounds. 

"Being 250 pounds, you’re not exactly built for distance," Develin said recently, via The Boston Globe's Nicole Yang.

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But the former Pro Bowler, who won three Super Bowl titles over eight seasons in New England from 2012 to 2019, trained several months for Monday's marathon. He also raised over $10,000 for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, a nonprofit committed to providing financial support to New England cancer patients and their families.

Patriots center David Andrews was among the many impressed with Develin's efforts on Marathon Monday, while current Patriots fullback Jakob Johnson also retweeted the Patriots' tweet of Develin running.

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Develin has made a few trips down Boylston Street on duck boats for Patriots championship parades, but this trip had to mean a little extra for the fullback-turned-long-distance runner.

"It was a surreal experience,” Develin told WBZ-TV’s Eric Fisher the race. "I didn’t know what to expect. This was my first experience at the marathon and it was absolutely awesome from Mile 1 to 26.2. It was a great time."

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