It would take far more than just
a few rain showers and gusting winds to dent the spirits of Boston and
its runners at the Boston
Marathon.
About 30,000 runners set out
early Monday morning to compete in one of the world's most prestigious
races. The marathon covers more than 26 miles of Boston's hilly terrain,
and this year's runners faced rain and 20-mph headwinds almost every
step of the way.
In the end, the men's race came down to Lelisa Desisa and Yemane Adhane
Tsegay, both of Ethiopia. With about a mile remaining, Desisa pulled out
to a seven-second lead. He would go on to win with a time of 2:09:17;
this marked his second Boston Marathon victory, after 2013.
Meb Keflezighi, last year's winner, was the first American man to cross
at 2:12:42. Keflezighi had been a pre-race favorite, but a hamstring
pull late in the race ended his chances. He ran the final steps holding
hands with a woman he pulled from the crowd.
The women's race featured Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia and Caroline Rotich of
Kenya battling stride for stride until the finish. Rotich made her move
with 500 feet to go, kicking past Dibaba, and ended up winning with a
time of 2:24:55, just four seconds ahead of Dibaba. This marked Rotich's
first Boston Marathon victory. Shalane Flanagan was the first American
woman to finish, in a time of 2:27:45.
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