The 119th edition of the Boston Marathon took place Monday, as over 30,000 people took part in the world’s longest-running marathon, which began in Hopkinton and ended in the middle of Boston.
Thousands gathered to cheer on participants of the 26.2-mile race, as they ran through cloudy skies and rain. Although most of the elite runners finished ahead of the rain that came down at about 1 p.m., the rest of the runners were not so lucky.
“It was a very cold, very tough day,” said Jessica Gibby, 28, of Palo Alto, California, who ran in her second Boston Marathon on Monday. “Tough to run fast today, but still a fun course.”
New England’s most widely viewed sporting event saw a familiar face cross the finish line first in the men’s division, as Ethiopian runner Lelisa Desisa won the Boston Marathon, finishing with a time of 2:09:17, a little over six seconds off the course record set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011. Monday’s win was the second Boston Marathon victory for Desisa, who last won in 2013. He gave his winner’s medal from that race to the city of Boston following the Marathon bombings, which killed three and injured more than 260.
Desisa was followed by fellow Ethiopian native Yemane Tsegay, who crossed the finish line 31 seconds later. American runners Dathan Ritzenhein and Meb Keflezighi finished seventh and eighth overall, respectively. Keflezighi won the Boston Marathon in 2014, making him the first American runner to win the marathon in three decades.
In the women’s division, Caroline Rotich of Kenya was able to squeak out a first-place finish in a very competitive race, as Rotich broke free from second-place finisher Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia in the last 500 feet to win her first Boston Marathon with a time of 2:24:55. Michigan native Desiree Linden came in fourth, crossing the finish line at 2:25:39, while Oregon runner Shalane Flanagan, who ran the fastest time ever by an American women on the Boston Marathon course in 2014 with a time of 2:22:02, finished ninth this year in 2:27:47.
Tatyana McFadden continued her dominance in the women’s wheelchair division, winning her third consecutive race and coming in at the 1:52:54 mark. Marcel Hug, a native of Switzerland, brought home the men’s wheelchair title with a time of 1:29:53 for his first marathon victory.
The gloomy weather conditions did not stop spectators from coming out and supporting the runners as they made their way through the city. Several runners said they were pleased with the cheering crowd and the support they received.
“I thought that all the people cheering all along the way were fantastic,” said Michael French, 36, of Chesapeake, Virginia, who ran in his first Boston Marathon and finished 95th overall. “The people really cheered us on toward the end. It really kind of numbed the pain, and the miles started ticking off toward the end of the race.”
Dan Jensen, 23, of Urbandale, Iowa, who finished 339th overall, said the energy of the crowd helped him finish his first Boston Marathon.
“It was awesome, especially the last couple of miles,” he said. “It just gives you a lot of energy. I was starting to get tired in the last couple of miles, but it’s hard to slow down when everyone is cheering for you like that.”