Boston Marathon 2024
Sisay Lemma won the Boston Marathon. He ran fast, finishing in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 17 seconds. It’s the 10th fastest time ever.
He came to Boston as the fastest runner. Last year, he won in Valencia in under 2 hours, 2 minutes. He broke away from the other runners in Ashland. He had a big lead of more than half a mile.
Lemma completed the initial half in an hour and nineteen minutes.He was faster than Geoffrey Mutai’s record pace in 2011. Mutai finished in 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 2 seconds. That was the fastest marathon ever at that time.
Lemma dropped to the ground after crossing the finish line. He lay on his back, smiling.
“I started fast early,” said Lemma. His only other big marathon win was in London in 2021.”I maintained my speed, and emerged victorious.”
Mohamed Esa, also from Ethiopia, finished second. He was 41 seconds behind. Evans Chebet, who won twice before, came third.
Hellen Obiri won the women’s race again, beating Sharon Lokedi by eight seconds. She finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 37 seconds. Obiri is the first woman to win two Boston marathons in a row since 2005.
“Securing my title wasn’t a simple task,” Obiri expressed. “Only six women have done it since Boston started. I worked really hard to be one of them, and now I am.”
Obiri separated from the other runners halfway through the race. Then, she battled with Lokedi in the last three miles. Kenyans swept the podium, with Lokedi second and Edna Kiplagat third. Kiplagat finished 30th last year.
Wheelchair division
Marcel Hug won his seventh Boston Marathon in a wheelchair. He fell during the race but still finished in a record time. He beat his own record from last year.
Marcel Hug almost set a new world record, missing it by just seven seconds. He has won 11 big marathons in a row.
Daniel Romanchuk, an American, came second. He finished after Hug. David Weir from Britain was third. Hug raced well because the weather was good. It was around 50 degrees Fahrenheit at the start. Hug was ahead of everyone by a lot halfway through the race.
In the women’s race, Eden Rainbow-Cooper from Britain won her first Boston race. She finished in 1 hour, 35 minutes, and 11 seconds. Manuela Schar from Switzerland came second with 1 hour, 36 minutes, and 41 seconds. Madison de Rozario from Australia was third with 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 20 seconds.
Rainbow-Cooper, who is 22 years old, got her first big win. Last year in Boston, she came seventh. Before this, her best finishes in big races were second place in Tokyo this year and second in Berlin in 2023.
Marcel Hug was leading comfortably until he crashed. It happened as he was turning at the start of the Newton Hills section, around the 18-mile mark. He skidded and hit a barrier. But he got back on track quickly and kept his lead, almost four minutes ahead of everyone else.
Hug admitted it was his mistake. He said he had too much weight and pressure on his steering, so he couldn’t control it.
Hug and Rainbow-Cooper each got $40,000 for winning. They also got a $50,000 bonus for setting records. Hug, who is expected to do well in the Paris Paralympic marathon, will represent Switzerland in France this summer.
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