Boston Marathon 2014 - As It Happens

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The 118th Running of the Boston Marathon (2014) - As It Happens

Refresh this page every few minutes to see the latest updates. We'll have all of the updates for all races on this one page - trying to make it as easy as possible for our readers to see what's happening.

Note, as you read these reports, they will appear in reverse chronological order. Newest updates will be at the top of each section.

The Coverage:(below) Men's Race | Women's Race

Overview
Each year there is a story. Of course the 2013 race story was overwhelmed by the bombing after the finish - but here we want to talk about the running. In 2012, the story was the strong tailwind that pushed the men to run the fastest times ever recorded in marathoning. In other years it has been the heat or blinding tropical storm. This year...? We don't know yet, but we'll report on all of it as it happens and use these notes to write up our final stories.

At the start, the official temperature is 55 degrees and virtually no wind... 19,648 men, 16,107 women are registered, but here we will cover only about 50. Some of the best in the world and virtually ALL of the best from the USA.

Men's Race back to top

The Americans: We already mentioned Meb, the overall champion - but we can't not mention Meb again and again... Meb! Second American, Nick Arciniaga the reigning USA Marathon champion, completed the course in seventh place in 2:11:47. Jeff Eggleston finishes eighth and third American in 2:11:57.

The Finish: Meb Keflezighi! In a personal best 2:08:37. Meb proved in 2004 with his silver medal finish at the Olympics that he could push and never give up. By winning the New York City Marathon in 2009, he proved that he had staying power... With his fourth place finish at the 2012 Olympics, Keflezighi showed he can stay at the top of the world. With this win, well - we just don't know what to say... Wilson Chebet finishes second in 2:08:48, Frankline Chepkwony is third in 2:08:50.

Down Boylston Street... Meb Keflezighi is picking up the pace, he is sprinting to a win. The first American win since Greg Meyer won in 1983! Keflezighi keeps looking behind, he is worried, it's just a few seconds...

40K (2:01:48), Mile 25 (): Meb is hurting, but he is tough. Behind, Chebet looks like he is hurting... Passing the iconic Citgo sign, Meb seems to getting a second wind - he still has nine seconds on Chebet. Behinid, Frankline Chepkwony is coming up.

Mile 24 (1:57:35): Meb has only 12 seconds on a hard charging Wilson Chebet... The crowds are giving Meb stregnth, but he can also hear the cheers behind him as Chebet follows. Meb will be first or second... Chebet will be first or second... Who will it be?

Mile 22 (1:47:52), Mile 23 (1:52:48): Meb continues to lead...

Mile 21 (1:43:04), 35K (1:46:35): Keflezighi is still leading, but he seems to be tiring and he has looked back - always a sign of concern. But Meb will push himself as hard as he can.

Mile 19 (1:32:51), Mile 20 (1:37:52): Meb Keflezighi is ascending the Newton Hills alone. He is out of sight of any of the other runners...

Mile 17 (1:23:06), Mile 18 (1:28:04), 30K (1:31:09): Meb Keflezighi is 45 seconds ahead of Josphat Boit who is another 30 seconds ahead of the main pack of ten men: Vitali Shafar (UKR), Lusapho April (RSA), Paul Lonyangata (KEN), Dennis Kimetto (KEN), Wilson Chebet (KEN), Frankline Chepkwony (KEN), Joel Kimurer (KEN), Micah Kogo (KEN), Markos Geneti (ETH), Lelisa Desisa (ETH)

25K (1:15:59), Mile 16 (1:18:07): Meb Keflezighi continues to run alone - hard. He is on pace to a personal best if he can keep this up. Josphat Boit is maintaining his position in second place, but the rest of the pack - another eleven men are in the main pack and starting to move a bit closer to the leader.

Mile 14 (1:08:37), Mile 15 (1:13:30): Keflezighi is now running alone at the front - he is going for it. Meb is a hero and if anyone can pull this off, it is Meb. He is nearly a minute ahead of the main pack.

Mile 12 (58:55), Mile 13 (1:03:49), Halfway (1:04:21): Keflezighi and Boit are now 30 seconds ahead of the main pack.

Mile 10 (49:08), Mile 11 (54:04): Josphat Boit and Meb Keflezighi are running alone at the top. The rest of the field has let them go: presumably expecting to catch them later. Boit was runner-up at the USA Marathon Championships with a personal best of 2:13:14. At 38, Keflezighi is the oldest in the elite field. The main field must consider them no threat, but...

Mile 8 (39:10), Mile 9 (44:10), 15K (45:47): Meb Keflezighi and Josphat Boit are ten seconds ahead of the rest of the runners. And then Josphat Boit starts to run off alone - this is interesting.

Mile 7 (34:16): Two Americans, Meb Keflezighi and Josphat Boit are running away from the field and are ten seconds ahead. We can't yet be sure what that means.

Mile 5 (24:29), 10K (30:29): Meb Keflezighi continues to lead a very large pack...

Mile 4 (19:29), Mile 5 (24:29). The pace is strong, but not exceptional.

Mile 3 (14:38), 5K (15:09): Meb Keflezighi and Ryan Hall lead the pack which is spread out and large. There is no wind, so the men are leaving themselves space. The pace is on for a 2:08 marathon. In the front pack are: Meb Keflezighi (USA), Ryan Hall (USA), Josephat Ongeri (KEN), Markos Geneti (ETH), Lelisa Desisa (ETH), Gebre Gebremariam (ETH), Abdi Abdirahman (USA), Josphat Boit (USA), Tilahun Regassa (ETH), Micah Kogo (KEN), Dennis Kimetto (KEN), Lusapho April (RSA), Wilson Chebet (KEN), Paul Lonyangata (KEN), Matthew Bowen (KEN), Jason Hartmann (USA), Joel Kimurer (KEN), Daniel Njeri (KEN), Adil Annani (MAR), Craig Leon (USA), Frankline Chepkwony (KEN), Nicholas Arciniaga (USA), Jeffrey Eggleston (USA), Segundo Jami (ECU)

Mile 1 (4:49), Mile 2 (9:43): Meb Keflezighi is setting the pace. Ryan Hall is just a bit off the side. There are 23 men in the lead pack - most elite runners, but also a couple of citizen runners working hard to get some TV time.

The men's race has started. The official start temperature: 60 degrees.

The Men's race will begin at 10:00AM ET. Stay tuned.

Women's Race back to top

The Americans: After setting the pace and leading most of the race, Shalane Flanagan holds it together to finish strongly in sixth place in 2:22:02. Desiree Linden is second American (10th overall) in 2:23:54.

The Finish: Rita Jeptoo wins the marathon in 2:18:57, a new course record and amazing finish. Buzunesh Deba takes the second spot in 2:19:59. Mare Dibaba is third in 2:20:35...

40K (2:12:05), Mile 25 (2:12:51): Rita Jeptoo WILL win. And she WILL set the course record.

Mile 24 (2:07:49): Jeptoo is gaining a lot of ground on all of her competition. She is also gaining ground on the phantom 2002 Okayo's record - she is 1:10 ahead of Okayo and well ahead of all of her 2014 competition.

Mile 22 (1:57:47), Mile 23 (2:03:01): Rita Jeptoo - our favorite for this race and a woman on fire - is now running away from the field... We don't see how she can't win: defending champion, convincing winner of the 2013 Chicago Marathon, one of two women in this pack who has run sub-2:20, how can this race - and course record!?! - not be hers?

Mile 21 (1:52:30), 35K (1:56:22): The lead pack is down to five women: Jemima Jelagat Sumgong (KEN), Rita Jeptoo (KEN), Mare Dibaba (ETH), Melkamu Meselech (ETH), Buzunesh Deba (ETH). They are 48 seconds ahead of Okayo's time at that point in 2002, this is a fast race.

Mile 19 (1:41:11), Mile 20 (1:46:45): Flanagan is falling back - the pace was too aggressive. It looks like Buzunesh Deba is now taking the lead of the six women.

Mile 18 (1:35:50), 30K (1:39:18): Flanagan still leads... Seven women in the group, Meselech Melkamu was the last woman to fall back.

Mile 16 (1:24:46), Mile 17 (1:30:17): Flanagan continues to lead. It looks like a couple of the women are starting to fall off the back, but for now they are holding on. The pace - matching the contours of the course - has slowed a bit in the last couple of miles, but the group remains a minute ahead of where Okayo was in 2002.

Mile 14 (1:14:08), Mile 15 (1:19:35): Still Shalane Flanagan leading... Still eight women... Still more than a minute ahead of Margaret Okayo's split when she set the course record in 2002.

Mile 13 (1:08:40), Halfway (1:09:25) - the time says it all. Still the same eight women together, and Shalane Flanagan leading the field and not letting the the pace flag at all.

Mile 12 (1:03:27), 20K (1:05:48): Shalane Flanagan continues to push the pace. Eunice Kirwa has fallen back and its a pack of 8 women...

Mile 10 (52:48), Mile 11 (58:11): The women continue to run at an incredible pace. This is a pace none of these women have completed before and we can't believe there won't be many who come into trouble. On pace for a sub-2:19 marathon?!?

Mile 8 (42:03), Mile 9 (49:05), 15K (49:05): The lead pack is down to nine women - the early pace has caused a few women to fall back. Shalane Flanagan continues to lead, and the pace remains ahead of course record. Left in the lead pacK: Shalane Flanagan (USA), Buzunesh Deba (ETH), Dibaba Dibaba (ETH), Meselech Melkamu (ETH), Belaynesh Oljira (ETH), Rita Jeptoo (KEN), Jemima Jelagat Sumgong (KEN), Sharon Cherop(KEN), Eunice Kirwa (KEN)

Mile 7 (36:42), Mile 8 (42:03): Still more than a minute ahead of the old course record run...

Mile 6 (31:22), 10K (32:32). The same twelve women remain in the pack. They are really going for the record. Who can last?

Mile 5 (26:11). The group is now more than a minute ahead of Margaret Okayo's time at mile 5 when she ran the 2:20:43 course record. Hmmmm.....

Mile 4 (20:46): This pace averages to a 2:16 finish. Yes, the start is somewhat downhill - but we know must of these leading women will be in trouble later in the race.

Mile 3 (15:37), 5K (16:12): Buzunesh Deba, who was running just behind Flanagan has now taken the lead. Twelve women in the lead running much faster than the average pace needed for a course record (16:40) and much much faster than Margaret Okayo's time at 5K when she set her record (17:03). The front group consists of: Buzunesh Deba (ETH), Mare Dibaba (ETH), Shalane Flanagan (USA) 00:16:12, Belaynesh Oljira (ETH), Sharon Cherop (KEN), Caroline Kilel (KEN), Jemima Jelagat Sumgong (KEN) 00:16:13, Meselech Melkamu (ETH), Eunice Kirwa (KEN), Flomena Chepchichir (KEN), Rita Jeptoo (KEN), Yeshi Esayias(ETH). Desiree Linden and Serena Burla are the next Americans, running with Canadian Lanni Marchant, forty-five seconds back.

Mile 2 (10:21): Flanagan continues to lead. This time is fifteen seconds faster than Margaret Okayo ran in 2002 when she set the course record....

Mile 1 (5:11): Shalane Flanagan pressed the pace from the start. Three women are trailed out behind her and another eight in a pack behind. The first mile is downhill, but 5:11 is a fast start. The next Americans and another pack are a dozen seconds back that is being led by Canadian Lanni Marchant.

The women's race has started. The women start early to be eligible as a women's-only race for record purposes, but also it makes the television coverage easier; not a bunch of men stuck in with the women and confusing the image. Only the women in the early start are eligible for prize money and that includes the Masters category of women. Approximately 50 women are in the early start. And from the start Shalane Flanagan moves to the front...

The Women's race will begin at 9:32AM ET. Stay tuned.

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Post Race:
Men's Race and Commentary
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Complete Searchable Results

Race Day: As It Happens - Live Coverage (the real-time notes/mile-by-mile)

Pre-Race: Race Preview & Starter Lists | Elite Athlete Past Matchups | Prize Money
Weekend Experience: Pace Calculator/Spectator Guide | Course Experience As a Runner
Extras: Athlete/Course Videos | Boston Marathon Books|
More News: Press Releases | News