Patriots Day is not an official holiday at Harvard, but a group of toned and conditioned students took the day off from classes yesterday to participate in the 104th running of the Boston Marathon.

Despite chilling winds and periods of light rain in the afternoon, marathon organizers have said a record number of runners--17,813--participated this year.

Theodore B. Shybut '00 was among the group of official runners who had to qualify for the race in advance. His 2:45:28 finish was among the quickest of all Harvard student participants, many said.

Kenyan runner Elijah Lagat, in comparison, won the race with a time of 2:09:47.

Finishing the grueling 26.2 mile course came as sweet relief to Lewis Shi '00, who said he spent this fall juggling thesis-writing and training for the marathon. He finished with a time of 3:00:50.

To avoid yesterday's winds, which at times reached 13 miles per hour, Shi said he devised an ingenious plan. "I kept ducking behind the taller people, trying to run right behind them," he said.

He said without the wind, he might have been able to lower his time to under three hours.

Although Shi had officially registered for the event, some Harvard students decided to participate as "bandits"--unofficial runners who start out at the tail end of the pack.