FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
History Made at the 126th Boston Marathon
Picture Perfect Return to Racing On Patriots' Day
BOSTON- For the first time in 1,099 days, the Boston Marathon returned to
Patriots' Day on a picture-perfect day for racing. A total of 25,314
athletes started in Hopkinton bound for Boston, with participants from 120
countries and all 50 U.S. states aiming to earn their coveted unicorn
medals. In one of the most gripping duels down Boylston Street in race
history, Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya fought off surge after breathtaking
surge by Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia to claim the women's open race, while
Kenya's Evans Chebet avenged a 2018 DNF to finish in front of the men's
open race.
The wheelchair divisions were won by American Daniel Romanchuk in 1:26:58
and Manuela Schär of Switzerland in 1:41:08. It was the third victory here
for Romanchuk and the fourth for Schär.
By contrast, Jepchirchir earned the olive wreath in her debut here,
becoming the first athlete to win an Olympic marathon gold medal, the TCS
New York City Marathon and now Boston. A quartet of Jepchirchir, Yeshaneh,
2021 TCS London Marathon winner Joyciline Jepkosgei and Degitu Azimeraw
broke away from the pack around 15K, running on a pace to break the course
record of 2:19:59. Azimeraw, whose personal best of 2:17:58 made her the
third-fastest woman in the field behind only Jepchirchir and Jepkosgei,
wasn't able to hang on for long, but the remaining trio ran together –
often literally side-by-side-by-side – until mile 23, when Jepkosgei would
fall back.
From there, it was a battle for the ages. For a moment, it appeared that
Yeshaneh would pull away, but Jepchirchir bore down to regain the lead.
Yeshaneh retook it, only to see Jepchirchir blast ahead in Kenmore Square
with a mile to go. But the race wasn't over yet: the 1:04:31 Ethiopian half
marathoner surged ahead again and seemed to be taking control until
Jepchirchir slipped past on the inside as the pair turned onto Hereford
Street. The determined duo traded leads all down the 600 meters of Boylston
Street before Jepchirchir took command in the final meters to defeat her
persistent rival by four seconds.
Asked if this was the most hard-fought victory of her career, Jepchirchir
nodded. "I can say that this was a difficult race for me. I came to
realize, Boston is Boston. It's a tough course."
Finishing third was Kenya's Mary Ngugi, in 2:21:32, a personal best by
almost four minutes over her third-place time here last fall. Placing
fourth – and smashing the masters course record she set last year – was
42-year-old Edna Kiplagat, in 2:21:40. Top American for the
second-consecutive year was Nell Rojas in a personal best 2:25:57,
finishing 10th.
The men's race played out very differently, with a pack of 15 still
together on Heartbreak Hill. It wasn't until mile 21 that Evans Chebet,
determined to make up for the DNF in his only previous appearance here four
years ago, surged ahead.
"I was confident that move would do it," he said later.
Although Gabriel Geay of Tanzania briefly went with him, it would be past
Boston champions Lawrence Cherono (2019) and Benson Kipruto (2021) looming
in the distance who posed the most-credible threat.
But Chebet never looked back, breaking the tape in 2:06:51. Cherono
followed in 2:07:21, with Kipruto third in 2:07:27. The top American, Scott
Fauble, was seventh in 2:08:52, a personal best.
The morning was less suspenseful for Romanchuk and Schär. The former
defeated runner-up Aaron Pike, 1:26:58 to 1:32:49; the latter bested
American Susannah Scaroni, 1:41:08 to 1:46:20. Scaroni was competing for
the first time since being hit by a car while training last year.
"This one was special," said Schär, barely recovered after a bout with
COVID-19 just two weeks ago. "The crowd kind of saved my life today."
It was Romanchuk who summed up the morning: "It's just amazing to be back
here on Patriots Day."
Participants continue to complete the 126th Boston Marathon; finisher
totals will be available once the event comes to a conclusion. Results and
leaderboards for today's race can be found here.
For the 37th year, John Hancock will serve as principal sponsor of the
Boston Marathon.
ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit
organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through
sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's
oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and
supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs.
Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John
Hancock. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors,
along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and
New York City. For more information on the B.A.A., the B.A.A. running club,
or the B.A.A. High Performance Team, please visit www.baa.org.
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