Vicksburg native Sara Harper, who lost more than 150 pounds over the last five years and trained for the Boston Marathon, completed the 26.2-mile race Monday in about 7 hours, 15 minutes, she said.

Time-keeping at the finish line had been disassembled when she finished the race, so the exact time was not available.

Harper was one of more than 22,400 runners at the starting line, about 4,000 fewer than the usual field because forecasted heat had prompted cautions from race-organizers.

Temperatures reached the high 80s and made the run more difficult than she expected, Harper said, but added, “It was just an amazing experience. You have your name on your shirt so people along the route cheer you by name, kids to grandparents, give you water, offer you M&Ms, all kinds of things to keep you going.”

Harper, who lost the weight to get healthy and fit, raised more that $4,000 for the National Liver Foundation in her Boston Marathon effort