Boston Marathon
“It was just such a crazy incident,” she says.
Alexis Taladay bites her medal after chipping her tooth on it. Courtesy of Alexis Taladay
Unlike most runners, whose marathon experiences culminate in a medal and a celebration after finishing 26.2 miles, Alexis Taladay’s ended with a chipped tooth.
After completing the Boston Marathon for the fifth time, Taladay, 44, of Seattle, walked toward the finish area to collect her medal alongside another runner she recognized from social media. As he filmed videos and held up his medal, Taladay laughed.
Alexis Taladay’s tooth is chipped after a medal hit it. – Courtesy of Alexis Taladay
At that moment, as her medal was being placed on her, the medal swung forward — striking her in the mouth and chipping her right front tooth.
“I immediately was like, ‘Oh my God. I could feel that. Something happened,’” she told Boston.com. “If you’ve ever had tooth stuff, you just know how that feels.”
“It was just such a crazy incident,” she added.
Taladay was brought to the medical tent, where staff directed her to a lower-priority care area. Volunteers called out for a dentist, and one stepped forward. There was little that could be done on site, but Taladay said she received guidance and reassurance.
“Everybody was more than supportive,” she said.
Taladay was scheduled to fly back to Seattle two days after the marathon to celebrate her 7-year-old son’s birthday.
“My options were basically: Do I find an emergency dentist in the Boston area?” she said. “That’s probably going to cost me an arm and a leg and take up the whole next day.”
She opted to wait, spending the rest of her trip with a visibly chipped tooth, which she said was embarrassing.
When Taladay was in the medical tent, a Boston Athletic Association member told her they would follow up. After more than a week without hearing back, Taladay turned to Facebook April 28 for advice on whether to reach out herself.
Alexis Taladay running the Boston Marathon. – Courtesy of Taladay
Eventually, she received messages from BAA officials, who provided information on filing an insurance claim.
Back in Seattle, Taladay had the tooth fixed.
“I couldn’t walk around [with a chipped tooth],” she said. “I own a restaurant, so I’m in front of a lot of people all the time.”
While running her restaurant En Rama Tacoma, Taladay took up running and participated in her first marathon. This year’s race was her 11th marathon.
“Every marathon teaches you a lesson. Whether you have a great day or a bad day, it’s always a learning experience,” she said. “I think that’s what kind of keeps us all coming back.”
Looking ahead, Taladay said she will be competing in a 2027 world championship in Tokyo — though she may approach the finish line a little differently next time.
“Whenever I see somebody’s video of them getting a medal, and I see it swing towards their face, I do get a little traumatized,” she said. “So I don’t know if I will ever have somebody put a medal around my neck again, or if I do, maybe I’ll cover my mouth. We’ll see how that goes.”
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