It may have taken six, seven, even eight hours…but the back of the Boston Marathon pack was determined to make it.
Over 28,000 runners hit the pavement Monday in the 126th Boston Marathon. The historic race took place once again on Patriots Day this year after the COVID-19 pandemic pushed last year's marathon back to October.
Peres Jepchirchir, of Kenya, the reigning Olympic gold medalist, won the women's division of the Boston Marathon Monday in an incredible finish not seen in many years. She finished with an unofficial time of 2:21:01, narrowly defeating Ababel Yeshaneh, of Ethiopia.
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On the 50th anniversary of the first official women’s race, Jepchirchir traded places with Yeshaneh eight times in the final mile before pulling ahead for good on Boylston Street.
Jepchirchir and Yeshaneh, who was third in New York last fall, spent most of the morning running shoulder to shoulder — or even closer: Just after the 25-kilometer marker, the Ethiopian’s eyes wandered from the course and she drifted into Jepchirchir.
Yeshaneh reached out to apologize, and the two clasped each other’s arms as they continued on.
“In running, we understand each other and we maybe somebody came and bumps, but it’s OK,” Jepchirchir said. “It was not rivalism; it was just an accident.”
Beaten, Yeshaneh finished four seconds back. Kenya’s Mary Ngugi finished third for the second time in six months, following her podium in October after the 125th race was delayed, canceled and delayed again.
Evans Chebet, of Kenya, finished first in the Boston Marathon men's division Monday with an unofficial time of 2:06:51, breaking away from Gabriel Geay with about four miles to go to finish in 2:06:51 for his first major marathon victory. The 2019 winner Lawrence Cherono was second, 30 seconds back, defending champion Benson Kipruto was third, and Geay fell back to fourth.
About 20 men stayed together — with American CJ Albertson leading for much of the way — before Chebet and Geay broke from the pack coming out of Heartbreak Hill. Chebet pulled away a couple of miles later.
“We had communicated earlier, all of us. We wanted to keep running as a group,” said Chebet, who finished fourth in London last fall. “I observed that my counterparts were nowhere near me and that gave me the motivation.”
American Daniel Romanchuk won his second career men’s wheelchair title in 1:26:58. Switzerland’s Manuela Schar won her second straight Boston crown and fourth overall, finishing in 1:41:08.
Stories from the finish line
Runners come from around the world. Some are professional athletes, some run for charity. Everyone has a different reason to race. But at the end of the day they all have at least one thing in common - the drive to cross that finish line.
Jacky Hunt Broserma is running 102 marathons in 102 days - Boston was her 92nd.
"Just one step at a time just keep moving forward that’s it," she said at the finish line.
Igor Krystak came all the way from war-torn Ukraine.
"I run for all women all children all people who was killed in this war," Krystak said.
And 75-year-old Val Rogosheske as one of the first women to officially run the Boston Marathon 50 years ago. She ran it again today.
"It was pretty crazy to start with eight women 50 years ago and then to see all these women on the course with me it was a pleasure," she said.
Peres Jepchirchir wins women's division
Jepchirchir, 28, won the women's division of the Boston Marathon in an incredible finish not seen in years. She finished with an unofficial time of 2:21:01.
Evans Chebet wins men's division
Chebet, 33, finished first in the Boston Marathon men's division with an unofficial time of 2:06:51.
Daniel Romanchuk wins men's wheelchair division
Romanchuk, 23, won the men's wheelchair race with an unofficial time of 1:26:58. He led for 23 miles of the 26.2-mile course.
He previously won the Boston race in 2019 when he became the first American since 1993 to win the title. He finished third in the New York Marathon in November and second in the first fall edition of the Boston event last year.
Marcel Hug, the defending champion in the men's wheelchair division, withdrew from the race just hours before it began Monday. No reason was given for his withdrawal.
Sho Watanabe of Japan also withdrew. Watanabe finished ninth in the men's wheelchair division at last year’s Boston Marathon.
Manuela Schar wins women's wheelchair division
Schar, 37, became a four-time champion in the women's wheelchair division when she crossed the finish line with an unofficial time of 1:41:08. Schar also won in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
She led the women’s field throughout. Her win comes on the heels of victories in Berlin in September and London in October.
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Over 28,000 athletes participated Monday in the 126th Boston Marathon. The historic race takes place once again on Patriots Day this year after the COVID-19 pandemic pushed last year's marathon back to October.
Some of the COVID-era protocols remained in place, however. For instance, all participants must be fully vaccinated and masks are required on official buses and in medical tents.
The number of runners expected in the spring of 2022 rose from a dip of about 20,000 in-person competitors who ran in the fall of 2021. Before runners kicked off their journey Monday, they headed to Hopkinton via buses waiting for them in the Boston Common.
Fans waved Ukrainian flags in support of the runners whose 26.2-mile run Monday was the easiest part of their journey. Forty-four Ukrainian citizens had registered for the race; only 11 started.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus were disinvited in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
“I decided to come here and show that Ukrainians are strong, we’re fighting and we hope peace will come soon,” said Dmytro Molchanov, a Ukrainian who lives in New York.
“It’s really tough, basically, being here while all my family, my friends and Ukrainians are fighting over there for peace in my country, in Europe and the world overall,” said Molchanov, who finished in 2:39:20.
“When it was really tough I tried not to give up and tried pushing, kind of fight with myself the way Ukrainians are fighting against Russia right now.”
Ukrainians who were unable to make it to Boston were offered a deferral or refund.
“Whatever they want to do, they can do,” Boston Athletic Association President Tom Grilk said. “Run this year, run next year. You want a puppy? Whatever. There is no group we want to be more helpful to.”
In addition to coronavirus safety, added security was a top priority for organizers this year.
A large number of uniformed and plain-clothed officers will be stationed all along the course route. There are also a number of security check points in place that people in the crowd may be asked to step through.
The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad conducted a briefing early Monday morning ahead of the marathon with partners from FBI Boston, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services and the Massachusetts National Guard. Months of planning went into ensuring the safety and security of the event, officials said.
Former law enforcement officer and security analyst Todd McGhee, who has worked Boston Marathons in the past, also said that coordinating security starts well in advance. There are a number of meetings leading up to the race, he said.
During the marathon, part of the work will be done digitally with investigators scouring social media posts in real-time to monitor for any potential threat. A lot of the focus for police officers at the race will be to protect runners and monitoring the crowd.
"You may see a subtlety where the uniform presence between law enforcement and the national guard," McGhee said. "Instead of facing the marathon route, you'll probably see them positioned facing the crowd, looking for the abnormal behavior, looking for the anomalies in the crowd, making sure that people are there for the best of intentions.”
Authorities are also asking the public to report any suspicious behavior.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
