BOSTON — While it will take most runners all day to complete the 2024 Boston Marathon, the winners of the race have already crossed the finish line on Boylston Street. Monday saw a few repeat winners, along with a few newcomers breaking the tape before anyone else.
Hellen Obiri wins Boston Marathon women’s race
Hellen Obiri of Kenya broke away late to claim her second straight Boston Marathon women’s race, breaking the tape with a finish time of 2:22:37. She is the first back-to-back winner since Catherine Ndereba of Kenya won two straight women’s races in 2004 and 2005.
What was a pack of 20 was down to just two for the final miles on Monday, as Obiri and Sharon Lokedi ran alongside each other as the crowd cheering them on. But Obiri kicked things into high gear in the final stretch, and now has another Boston victory to her name. Obiri also won the 2023 New York City Marathon.
Lokedi finished second at 2:22:45 while Edna Kiplagat placed third at 2:23:21 to give Kenya the top three spots in the women’s race. Buze Diriba and Senbere Teferi (both from Ethiopia) each finished at 2:24:04 to round out the top five in the women’s race.
Minnesota’s Emma Bates was the first American woman to cross the finish line on Monday, finishing in 2:27:14. Sara Hall was next a 2:27:48 (two minutes behind her finish in Boston last year), while 2018 champ Des Linden finished in 2:28:27.
Sisay Lemma wins Boston Marathon men’s race
Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia didn’t finish the last time he ran Boston in 2022. On Monday, there was very little doubt he’d be the first man across the finish line.
The 33-year-old led wire-to-wire and broke the tape with a time of 2:06:17 — the 10th fastest time in Boston history. Lemma measured his lead in minutes for most of the race, though his edge was trimmed to a minute in the final miles. But no one was catching Lemma, whose previous best in Boston was 30th place in 2019.
Mohamed Esa (also of Ethiopia) was second across the finish line at 2:06:58, while defending champ Evans Chebet was not far behind at 2:07:22. Kenyans John Korir (2:07:40) and Albert Korir (2:07:47) rounded out the top five.
C.J. Albertson was the top American finisher at 2:09:53, and placed seventh overall for his best finish in Boston. He finished 10th in 2021, 13th in 2022, and 12th in last year’s race.
Eden Rainbow-Cooper wins Boston Marathon women’s wheelchair race
A newcomer took home the women’s wheelchair crown, as Eden Rainbow-Cooper became the first woman from Great Britain to win the wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon. The 22-year-old finished Monday with a time of 1:35:11 to claim the first World Marathon major win of her career.
Four-time champ Manuela Schar made a push and cut Rainbow-Cooper’s lead to 30 seconds at one point, but the Portsmouth, England native pulled away late. There was no one in her rear-view mirror when she took the left turn onto Boylston.
Rainbow-Cooper also won the Boston 5K on Saturday.He didn’t have a sponsor for Monday’s race, but that is likely going to change after her victory.
Schar came in second on Monday with a 1:36:41 finish, followed by Madison De Rozario (1:39:20), Patricia Eachus (1:40:22), and Aline Dos Santos Rocha (1:41:47).
Michelle Wheeler was the top American finisher in the women’s wheelchair race at 1:45:59.
Marcel Hug wins Boston Marathon men’s wheelchair race and sets another course record
Another year, another men’s wheelchair crown for Switzerland’s Marcel Hug. “The Silver Bullet” collected his seventh Boston win on Monday, and once again broke his own course record.
Actually, he didn’t just break the record, he shattered it with a 1:15:33 finish. He broke his own course record last year as well with a 1:17:06 finish.
He repeated as a record-smashing champ despite crashing into the wall as he turned onto Comm Ave in Newton. But not even that collision could slow Hug down on Monday, and for the second straight year finished way ahead of the competition. Maryland’s Daniel Romanchuk finished second with a time of 1:20:37, followed by David Weir (1:22:12), Sho Wantanabe (1:26:10), and Joshua Cassidy (1:26:15).
Romanchuk was the top American finisher, followed by Aaron Pike (1:28:35) and Evan Cornell (1:30:31).
Who won the Boston Marathon in 2023?
The 127th Boston Marathon saw another sweep by Kenya, with Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri winning the men’s and women’s races, respectively.
Chebet won his second straight Boston Marathon with a finish time of 2:05:54 — good for the third-fastest winning time in the race’s history. It was also nearly a minute faster than his victory in 2022. Chebet was Boston Marathon winner to repeat since Robert Cheruiyot won three straight from 2006-2008.
Obiri was actually a late entry into the 2023 Boston Marathon, and had only run marathon before tackling Boston: The New York City Marathon a few months prior. She won with a finish time of 2:21:38, good for the fourth-fastest winning time in race history.
In the men’s wheelchair race, well we already told you all about Hug. But he won his sixth Boston Marathon last year when he beat out American Daniel Romanchuk by over 10 minutes.
Susannah Scaroni won the women’s race in 1:41:45 despite having to deal with a loose wheel near the 15K mark. It was her first win in Boston and her third-fastest time on the course in her nine races.
What is the fastest anyone has ever run the Boston Marathon?
Geoffrey Mutai holds the record for the best time at the Boston Marathon, completing the 2011 men’s race in just 2:03:02.
Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba holds the record in the women’s race, completing the 2014 Boston Marathon in 2:19:59. The record previously belonged to Rita Jeptoo of Kenya and her 2:18:57 finish in 2014, but Deba was declared the winner in 2016 when Jeptoo was stripped of her title because of doping.
In the wheelchair race, you just read about Hug and his record-setting performance on Monday. Manuela Schar owns the record in the women’s race at 1:28:17 (2017).
Do Boston Marathon winners get a prize for winning?
Winners do get a nice chunk of change, with the winners of the men’s and women’s races receiving $150,000 each. Second place finishers will take home $75,000, while third-place finishers will get $40,000.
In the wheelchair division, the top winners will receive $40,000, while second and third place will take home $25,000 and $12,000, respectively.
