He was a couple of hours behind the winners, but Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” said he had a good Twin Cities marathon.

“It was just beautiful,” said Sagal, after crossing the finish line in St. Paul. He finished with a time of 3:35:08.

Sagal was a late entry to the race, and admitted that his fastest days were behind him. But his history also includes several years living in the Twin Cities (1992 to 1995) and he said it was great to return to Minneapolis for a marathon. “I used to run those lakes, and they’re gorgeous,” Sagal said. “The crowds out there were amazing.”

Sagal? Not quite amazing at the end. He was having a hard time getting up and down the curbs on the side of the streets at the Twin Cities Marathon’s finish. He conceded it was a tough go.

“All the people who were out there, who found out I was racing, or who just saw me and cheered, bless your heart,” Sagal said. “It was a hard race for me today. I got my butt kicked by this course, and you guys were the winds beneath my wings. Because I couldn’t let someone come out to the race and see me and then say ‘Yeah, I saw Peter Sagal. He was standing by the road and vomiting. I’m disillusioned now.’ So thank you so much.”

It was Sagal’s 11th marathon. The others include Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and New York.

Sagal appeared last week on The Daily Circuit.