BOSTON (AP) – Captain America ran. The guy in the clown wig ran. Groucho ran. Ken Bereski contributed to the kookiness: he was all red.

Bereski, 22, a recent Boston College graduate, wore red shorts and painted the rest of his body entirely in red, with the words “BC Super Fan” on his back and a gold apple on his chest.

The rabid Eagles fan has worn face paint for BC sports games and varying degrees of paint during three other marathons he’s run. But this year he went all the way.

“It’ll slow me down a bit,” he said. “On the other hand, it will make people go crazy so that will spur me on.”

Running for a cause

When her legs and lungs were aching on Heartbreak Hill, Sue Mathews said she’d have something to spur her on: the cause that inspired her to run.

Mathews, 38, of New York City is director of Fred’s Team, which has run the marathon for the past seven years to raise money for New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Center, a renowned cancer treatment and research facility.

The team, named for the late New York City Marathon founder Fred Lebow, included 25 runners in orange and blue outfits.

Many of them are cancer survivors or have family members who survived.

It’s a long-standing marathon tradition to run for a cause.

“It’s great for the kids,” Mathews said. “It gives them hope.”

‘Old School’ star beats Elvis

Comedian Will Ferrell, known for his antics on “Saturday Night Live,” ran with his wife and achieved two goals: He finished in under four hours, and he beat the guy dressed as Elvis.

After saying at the start that he just wanted to finish, Ferrell did better than that with a time of 3 hours, 56 minutes, 12 seconds. The guy dressed as Elvis Presley – actually, a friend of Ferrell’s named Bob Babbitt – came in at 4:28:33.

“It’s truly an amazing event. Along with the history and everything, it’s a bit of a blur,” Ferrell said. “Heartbreak Hill felt like a lovely summer day … and then you get hit over the head with a hammer.”

A magnet for star-struck fans at the start in Hopkinton, including many teenagers, Ferrell declined requests to do his President Bush impersonation.

“It got retired,” he said.

No jokes along the route either, reported 1968 marathon winner Amby Burfoot, who ran near the comedian. Burfoot finished in 4:03:37.

“He was completely serious,” said Burfoot, who runs every fifth anniversary of his victory. “His coach had him on a short tether. They had something left at the end. It’s great to see celebrities come into the race and treat it seriously.”

Apparently that means the funnyman didn’t oblige the

sign “Take it off, Will,” held

by a spectator at Wellesley College. Ferrell had a streaking scene in his movie “Old School.”

Weatherbeaten runners

Ninety-two runners in the race were on the Brigham and Women’s Hospital team, raising money for various causes associated with the Boston institution.

Nancy Barker, 41, an exercise teacher at the hospital, said Monday’s run in cool, crisp weather would be a lot easier than training during the harsh New England winter.

“We were out in 10-degree weather every Saturday. We had icicles,” she said.

Deedee Mariano, 53, also on the Brigham team, said “You would look at your shoulders and they were white because your sweat was freezing.”

Hydration advice

Thousands of healthy bodies running a grueling 26.2 miles, fueled on sports bars, carbohydrates and sports drinks. But what about their souls?

The Rev. Robert Davis of Hopkinton’s Vineyard Church spoke from the steps of a church near the common, mixing religious and nutritional advice and other tips on staying healthy during the race.

Davis also invited runners to visit a prayer tent prayer tent before the race.

“You’re filled up with water, but are you filled up with the Holy Spirit?” he asked.

Keizo Yamada

At 5-feet-2-inches and 108 pounds, Keizo Yamada was told by race doctors he wasn’t in shape to run a marathon.

The Japanese runner went on to win in 2:18:51. That was the 1953 Boston Marathon.

This year, the 75-year-old Yamada marked the 50th anniversary with a time of 4:10:11.

He has been a regular entrant in the senior division. Yamada won four titles in the over-70 age group between 1998 and 2001, placing sixth last year.

Recovering after the race on the floor of the press room, Yamada, whose bib number was 1953, said he was “really happy he can run 50 years.”

The diminutive runner, speaking through an interpreter, said the marathon hadn’t changed much in five decades: still the same large, cheering crowds.

Yamada plans on coming back for another eight years.

Pit stop

Who says beer and marathoning don’t mix?

Mark Noe, owner of Mug’s Away tavern at Mile 6 in Framingham, reports that one runner stopped in for a cold one: a young man in a wig and carrying pom-poms, calling himself “The Duke of Madness.”

The bar poured plenty of suds for thirsty spectators, too. Sunny weather and temps in the 60s were good for business, Noe said, and $2 draughts didn’t hurt either. With 20 miles to go, anyone who stops in for a beer gets plenty of cheers from the regulars, said bartender Lisa Harwell.

“I don’t know whether they’re supporting them or chanting ‘Go! Go! Go!’ to make them suck down the beer faster,” she said.

Serenade

Nick Stornaras, owner of Nick’s Drive-in just east of the Natick town square, hired a karaoke singer to belt out patriotic tunes to the passing runners.

“(It’s) to pay back in some way this country for what it gives me,” he said. “Everybody is happy. Look at their faces!”