{"id":47737,"date":"2019-04-15T17:46:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T00:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=47737"},"modified":"2019-04-22T16:07:25","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T23:07:25","slug":"boston-marathon-wraps-up-with-a-dramatic-finish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/boston-marathon-wraps-up-with-a-dramatic-finish","title":{"rendered":"Boston Marathon Wraps Up with a Close Finish"},"content":{"rendered":"

A day that started with thunderstorms led to sunshine and victories at the finish line of the 123rd Boston Marathon<\/a> for four athletes; among them: first-time winners, debut racers and one repeat champion. <\/span><\/p>\n

The drama began early in the day when\u00a0Worknesh Degefa<\/a>, 28, of Ethiopia, broke away around mile 4 and held the lead in the women’s race for the entirety of her Boston debut, crossing the famed Boylston Street finish line in 2:23:31. Close behind came 39-year-old Edna Kiplagat, the 2017 Boston Marathon winner from Kenya, who finished in 2:24:13 after lodging a fierce attempt to pull back Degefa\u2019s lead, followed by American Jordan Hasay, 27, in third, with a time of 2:25:20.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through a translator, Degefa <\/span>told CBS Boston<\/span><\/a> that she worried a little bit about breaking away early, but kept pushing with support from the crowds lining the roads from Hopkinton,\u00a0Massachusetts, to Boston. \u201cI hope I will be back,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Degefa\u2019s breakaway victory is a rare occurrence in Boston, where the elite racers tend to stick together in a pack early on, splitting off in the later miles of the race. This was Degefa\u2019s first time running Boston; <\/span>she\u2019s previously run only three marathons, all in Dubai, placing first, second and fourth<\/a><\/span>. Defending champion Desiree Linden, 35, from the United States, finished fifth in 2:27, calling a top-five finish in Boston a win in and of itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fans just carried me from 18 in and made it a really special day,\u201d she said afterward in an interview with CBS Boston.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a stunning solo victory on the women\u2019s side, the men\u2019s race came down to the final steps for two racers. Lelisa Desisa<\/a>, 29, the 2013 and 2015 Boston winner from Ethiopia, paced stride for stride with Lawrence Cherono<\/a>, 30, of Kenya, who pulled out the win in his first-ever Boston Marathon with a time of 2:07:57.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was so focused because I have never won a major marathon but I was so determined to win,\u201d <\/span>Cherono told CBS Boston after his finish<\/span><\/a>. \u201cI am so grateful, so thankful. The people of Boston, they were so amazing, they were cheerful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The elite racers, including the push-rim wheelchair competitors, started the day with thunder and rain in Hopkinton, but with thick crowds packed into the grandstands for the send-off.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a push-rim division stacked with former champions, <\/span>women\u2019s 2017 champion<\/span> and course record holder (1:28:17) Manuela Sch\u00e4r<\/a>\u00a0of Switzerland took the lead early and held on, crossing the finish line for her second victory, with a time of 1:34:19. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI felt so much better than last year,\u201d Shc\u00e4r, who dropped out of the 2018 race, told CBS Boston. \u201cIt feels so great to be back. I had my best experience here and I had my worst experience here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

American Daniel Romanchuk<\/a> followed up his third-place finish last year with a win in the men\u2019s division, becoming the youngest push-rim athlete to win in Boston and placing ahead of prior champs Ernst Van Dyk, of South Africa, and Marcel Hug, of Switzerland. The 20-year-old is the first American push-rim champion since 1993 and crossed the finish line in 1:21:36.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spectators stretched the full length of the course starting early on despite the morning rain, with finishers commenting on the volume of crowds in Wellesley and on Boylston Street.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing as always, just electric,\u201d said Meredith Aziz, 33, of London, Ontario, who completed her fifth Boston Marathon today. Though the conditions were too hot for the Canadian, she said the weather is always part of the challenge of running Boston. \u201cI think every runner should do Boston. There\u2019s no other race like it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In his first Boston Marathon, Ray Josephs was among the qualifiers who finished during a period of sun, though he faced similar struggles with the heat when the clouds parted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy race today was not as planned. Around mile 19 I started cramping up,\u201d he said, yet overall, he described the experience of running Boston for the first time as \u201cawesome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe burst of energy you get when you turn a corner and there are 20,000 people screaming is definitely interesting,\u201d Josephs said. \u201cI\u2019m pretty motivated to just go out and work out and not need other stuff but having [a cheering crowd] definitely makes the experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Josephs, who focuses more on triathlon than running, said he picks and chooses his standalone running races, but that he\u2019ll be back to run Boston again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have to come back to conquer it, but I don\u2019t know when.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Spectators remained along Boylston Street late into the afternoon, cheering on the final runners as periods of sun began to dry out the rain-soaked course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the finishers Monday was <\/span>1979 champion Joan Benoit Samuelson<\/span><\/a>, 61, who ran in <\/span>3:04<\/span>, meeting her goal of finishing within 40 minutes of her previous <\/span>record-setting time of 2:35:15<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Approximately 9,500 volunteers aided runners from Hopkinton to Boston, coordinating shuttle buses, staffing aid stations and passing out coveted finisher medals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Related coverage:<\/strong><\/p>\n