The cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France winner, who ran to raise money for his foundation, seemed happy to reach the finish line. He got there in 2 hours, 50 minutes and 58 seconds - better than the three-hour finish he was hoping for. While the Red Sox finished their holiday weekend sweep of the Texas Rangers, pitcher Curt Schilling 's wife, Shonda, finished the marathon in under five hours, having run for the fourth time to raise money for the Shade Foundation.

Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury 's girlfriend, Kelsey Hawkins (who finished in just over five hours), and Mike Timlin 's wife, Dawn (who ran the course in less than 4 1 2 hours), both ran on behalf of the Angel Fund, which supports ALS research. Also among the notable local runners: former acting governor Jane Swift, who finished in just under five hours and raised more than $10,000 for Children's Hospital Boston.

As the race continued into the early afternoon, Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi arrived at the Lenox Hotel and began asking about the 50 or so runners on his Tedy's Team, who ran to raise money for the American Stroke Association.

With his wife, Heidi, never far away, Bruschi was followed by an NFL film crew as he kept a watchful eye over the finish line from the Lenox's new presidential suite on the second floor. Up on the roof of the Boylston Street hotel near the finish line, we spotted the hotel's owner, Roger Saunders, his wife, Norma, and a large contingent of their family.

Also taking in the spectacular views were Boston artist and designer Anja Kola, event planner Susan Callendar, legal eagle Richard Glovsky, and real estate consultant Alison Drescher. Singer James Taylor was supposed to stop by, too, if he could get through the teeming crowds.

Meanwhile, across Boylston, PR princess Marlo Fogelman made the most of her third-story office space by hosting what is becoming one of the hotter Marathon Monday invites.

Among those at Fogelman's office were developer Mark Goldweitz and his wife, Joyce ; Cartier biggie Cedric Tonello and his wife, Thanh ; PR maven Doris Yaffe ; restaurateurs Garrett Harker and Patrick Lee ; chef Anthony Susi ; Salon Capri's Nicholas Penna, who was keeping an eye out for his wife, Amy, who ran the marathon; Mary Chiochios of the Massachusetts Film Bureau; and cinematographer Terrence Hayes, whose local credits include Dave McLaughlin 's "On Broadway."

Bannon grew up in Somerville, attended the Prospect Hill Academy high school, and now calls Winthrop home. A lifelong Red Sox fan, he met the world champs when they toured Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington in February. Bannon asked fellow Purple Heart recipient Senator John Kerry to join him in throwing out the first pitch.

A boatload of prizes at the Nantucket Film Festival Writer director Judd Apatow, whose credits include "Knocked Up" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," will receive the Screenwriter's Tribute Award at the Nantucket Film Festival in June.

Meg Ryan, a summer regular on Martha's Vineyard, will be the annual film gathering's first recipient of the Compass Rose Acting Tribute Award, established to honor actors who inspire writers to create roles for them. The four-day fest will open with Brad Anderson 's "Transsiberian" and close with "The Wackness," which stars Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, and Mary-Kate Olsen.

Margolis lights up BPL dinner Boston's literati gathered Sunday night to raise money for the Boston Public Library, but the real star of the "Literary Lights Dinner" was ousted library chief Bernard Margolis, who got a five-minute standing ovation from the black-tie garbed attendees. Margolis was forced out late last year after clashing with Mayor Tom Menino, who drew the ire of the keynote speaker, the Rev. Peter Gomes.

Without mentioning Menino by name, the Harvard professor and minister warned that the BPL was in danger of becoming "a minor bureaucratic sinkhole." The eight "Lights" celebrated at the swanky gala were authors Geraldine Brooks, Stephen Carter, Frances FitzGerald, Richard Ford, Tony Horwitz, P.J. O'Rourke, Gordon Wood, and the late David Halberstam.

Others attending included novelist Tom Perrotta and New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis, both presenters, Lewis's wife, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, and several financial wizards including Peter Lynch, Tom Stemberg, and John Spooner, a former Literary Light.

Norton Award to Nicholas Martin Tony-winning actress Andrea Martin will kick things off next month when the Elliot Norton Awards present the Prize for Sustained Excellence to the Huntington Theatre Company's outgoing artistic director Nicholas Martin.

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The group reopened the Silver Street garden, dramatically shut down last year, and held a barbecue for members of the public. The scene at the garden â " full of people enjoying food and listening to music â " was in stark contrast to scenes in October, when Thames Valley Police officers and Reading Borough Council officials forced the gardeners out. This prompted disappointment among the gardeners who decided to take matters into their own hands over the weekend and reopen.

Gardener David Oâ Connell said: â I was very impressed by the turn-out, I expect perhaps 150 to 200 people came in to have a look throughout the day. Many signed our petition to keep the land open for public use and agreed any future use of the site must be decided by referendum of the community â " and passing motorists beeped their horns in support as they drove past.

Our free food and music was incredibly popular, â " during the day people took their families along to enjoy the space and contribute food and drink. It was really nice to see strangers all meeting in a community space.â And there was more good news â " Reading Borough Council has preliminarily agreed on two potential sites for a new garden.

Katesgrove Residentsâ Association and the council have worked together and hope to turn land either at the corner of Southampton Street and Crown Street or at the junction of Elgar Road and Berkeley Avenue â " or both sites â " into a new garden for the community. The garden or gardens would become the responsibility of the residentsâ association and would be designed and run by local homeowners.

Katesgrove councillor and council leader David Sutton said: â The way the council officers have worked creatively to identify these two new community gardens is excellent. The residentsâ association are on board and welcome a new garden. They are potentially lovely sites.â Fellow Katesgrove councillor Gareth Epps added: â The idea of transforming wasteland into open spaces for the community makes great sense.

There is an acknowledged shortage of open space in this part of Katesgrove and a community garden would make a great resource for many local residents.â Although Saturdayâ s event went without a hitch it was not carried out with the councilâ s approval.

Council spokesman Oscar Mortali said: â The holding of any event on the site would be unauthorised, as it is private land. The councilâ s principal concern is with the health and safety of members of the public who try to enter the premises or the garden and as such we would not advise any member of the public to try to access the site.

The council did not consent to any event nor does it accept any liability for damage or injury and anybody who enters the site would do so at their own risk.â MyWeb Ma.gnolia Have your say Got an opinion you want to share?

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