Athletes in this year’s Boston Marathon had a variety of reasons for running the race; for Henry Richard, it was to honor his brother, Martin, who was 8 when he was killed in the bombings 10 years ago.
Defending champion Evans Chebet of Kenya won the Boston Marathon again on Monday, surging to the front at Heartbreak Hill to spoil the much-anticipated debut of world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and win in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 54 seconds.
Hellen Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5,000 meters, won the women’s race in a sprint down Boylston Street to finish in an unofficial 2:21:38 and complete the Kenyan sweep. Amane Beriso of Ethiopia finished second.
The Boston Athletic Association is boasting the strongest pro field ever, with world record holders, Olympic medalists and Boston champions among the lineup this year.
Chebet, 2021 winner Benson Kipruto of Kenya and Gabriel Geay of Tanzania dropped Kipchoge from the lead pack around Mile 20 and then ran together for the last three miles. Geay won a footrace for second, 10 seconds behind the winner and 2 seconds ahead of Kipruto. The 34-year-old is the first man to defend his title at Boston since 2008, and his winning time of 2:05:54 is the third-fastest winning time in race history.
“In a marathon anything can happen,” Obiri said of the men’s race. “It was a strong field, and everybody was there to race.”
Winning the men's race of the 127th Boston Marathon is Evans Chebet, in 2:05:54. He is first man to defend his title here since Robert Cheruiyot did it in 2008.
Evans Chebet, of Kenya, breaks the tape at the finish line, winning the Boston Marathon, Monday, April 17, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Fan favorite Kipchoge finishes sixth
Kipchoge, a 12-time major marathon winner, was sixth. Scott Fauble was the top American, finishing seventh.
Kipchoge had been hoping to add a Boston Marathon victory to his unprecedented running resume. The 38-year-old has won two Olympic gold medals and four of the six major marathons; Boston is the only one he has competed in and failed to win. (He has never run New York.) He also broke 2 hours in an exhibition in a Vienna park.
Fighting a trace of a headwind and rain that dampened the roads, Kipchoge ran in the lead pack from the start in Hopkinton until the series of climbs collectively known as Heartbreak Hill. But to the surprise of the fans lined up along Boylston Street for the final sprit, he wasn’t among the three leaders.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 17: Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya runs in the professional Men's Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. Kipchoge finished in sixth place. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Obiri, 32, is the only woman in history to win world titles in indoor and outdoor track and cross country but this was just her second marathon ever. Her time was the fourth-fastest winning time in history.
In a post race interview, her 7-year-old daughter said her mom did "good."
Winning the women's race is an exuberant @HellenObiri in 2:21:38.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 17: Hellen Obiri of Kenya crosses the finish line and takes first place in the professional Women's Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia finished fourth in the women's field despite falling not far from the finish line.
Emma Bates of the U.S. finished fifth at 2:22:10, the second-fastest time ever for an American woman at the Boston Marathon behind only Shalane Flanagan.
Hug, Scaroni take Boston Marathon wheelchair titles
In the men's wheelchair division,five-time Boston Marathon champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland made it six on Monday.
His unofficial finish time was 1:17:06, beating his former record at the Boston Marathon by about a minute. American Daniel Romanchuk was second in 1:27.45, followed by Jetze Plat of the Netherlands in 1:28.35.
Hug won the Boston Marathon the last year he competed in 2021, but had to withdraw due to injury in 2022.
.@MarcelEricHug smashes his #BostonMarathon course record, winning in an unofficial 1:17:06, good for his sixth win here and a $50,000 bonus. The bells of Old South Church are ringing for today's first champion!
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 17: Marcel Hug of Switzerland crosses the finish line and takes first place in the professional Men's Wheelchair Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
In the women's wheelchair division, American Susannah Scaroni won with an unofficial time of 1:41:45. It's her first Boston Marathon win.
The 31-year-old's victory followed runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2022. She was followed by Madison de Rozario of Australia in 1:46.55 and Wakako Tsuchida of Japan in 1:47.04.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 17: Susannah Scaroni of the United States crosses the finish line and takes first place in the professional Women's Wheelchair Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Hug’s win was the second-largest in the Boston wheelchair race’s history. He received $25,000 for the victory and a $50,000 bonus for setting the new course mark.
The 37-year-old Hug surged to the front of the field on a foggy and drizzly morning, leading the majority of the 26.2-mile course a year after withdrawing before the race for medical reasons. Hug also broke the course record in Saturday’s 5K race as well.
Scaroni built a 20-second lead early before having to stop briefly to adjust a loose right wheel about 10 miles in. She dealt with the issue and returned to the race.
“It’s better to pull over losing that time tightening it," she said. "The speed you lose when your wheel is (loose) is much greater than the time you would lose by not tightening it. I was disappointed. I just tried to get back to the ... pace as quickly as I could.”
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Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri, both of Kenya, pose with the trophy on the finish line after winning the professional Men’s Division and professional Women’s Division respectively during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Winslow Townson/AP
Hellen Obiri of Kenya celebrates after winning the women’s division of the 127th Boston Marathon Monday, April 17, 2023, in Boston.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Hellen Obiri of Kenya poses with the trophy on the finish line after winning the professional Women’s Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Evans Chebet of Kenya crosses the finish line and takes first place in the professional Men’s Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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Hellen Obiri of Kenya takes first place in the Women’s Division during the 127th Boston Marathon, April 17, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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Evans Chebet of Kenya poses with the trophy after winning the professional Men’s Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Hellen Obiri of Kenya poses with the trophy after winning the professional Women’s Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Marcel Hug of Switzerland (L) and Susannah Scaroni of the United States (R) pose with the trophy after winning the professional Men’s Wheelchair Division and professional Women’s Wheelchair Division respectively during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Susannah Scaroni of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the finish line after winning the professional Women’s Wheelchair Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Marcel Hug of Switzerland poses with a the trophy on the finish line after winning the professional Men’s Wheelchair Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Marcel Hug of Switzerland crosses the finish line and takes first place in the professional Men’s Wheelchair Division during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Charles Krupa/AP
Susannah Scaroni, of Urbana, Ill., wins the women’s wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon, April 17, 2023, in Boston.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Former Boston Red Sox baseball player David Ortiz poses with the trophy at the finish line as he serves as the grand marshal of the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Steven Senne/AP
Runners for the professional men’s division make their way along the course of the Boston Marathon, Monday, April 17, 2023, in Hopkinton, Mass.
Mary Schwalm/AP
The elite women break from the starting line during the 127th Boston Marathon, April 17, 2023, in Hopkinton, Mass.
Mary Schwalm/AP
The elite men break from the starting line during the 127th Boston Marathon, Monday, April 17, 2023, in Hopkinton, Mass.
Jennifer McDermott/AP
Boston Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray sends out a group from the Massachusetts National Guard, which walks the course annually, announcing the start of the 127th marathon, Monday, April 17, 2018.
Mary Schwalm/AP
Race operations workers install the timing mat at the starting line of the 127th Boston Marathon, Monday, April 17, 2023, in Hopkinton, Mass.
Police officers walk near the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts on April 17, 2023. – 30,239 people are entered to run the 26.2 mile (42.2K) race from a total of 106 countries and all 50 US states. This year also is the 10 year anniversary of the 2013 bombings. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: A person cleans a logo near the finish line before the start of the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Workers clean the wet finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 17, 2023. – 30,239 people are entered to run the 26.2 mile (42.2K) race from a total of 106 countries and all 50 US states. This year also is the 10 year anniversary of the 2013 bombings. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Luan Santos Cardoso celebrates after finishing in the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Felipe Posada Restrepo celebrates after crossing the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Thousands of runners make their way to the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts on April 17, 2023. – In wet and windy conditions, 2022 champion Chebet of Kenya took his time before surging away in the closing stages to become the first man to defend the Boston crown since compatriot Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot completed a hat trick of victories between 2006-2008. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Runners celebrate in the rain as they cross the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Manuel Cabral celebrates after crossing the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Georgina Ortega Vera celebrates after crossing the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
A runner celebrates at the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 17, 2023. – In wet and windy conditions, 2022 champion Chebet of Kenya took his time before surging away in the closing stages to become the first man to defend the Boston crown since compatriot Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot completed a hat trick of victories between 2006-2008. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Waldemar Brigido Jr., celebrates after crossing the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Runner takes a photo after finishing the race during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts on April 17, 2023. – In wet and windy conditions, 2022 champion Chebet of Kenya took his time before surging away in the closing stages to become the first man to defend the Boston crown since compatriot Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot completed a hat trick of victories between 2006-2008. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
Spectators watch and cheer on runners during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts on April 17, 2023. – In wet and windy conditions, 2022 champion Chebet of Kenya took his time before surging away in the closing stages to become the first man to defend the Boston crown since compatriot Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot completed a hat trick of victories between 2006-2008. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
Runners embrace in the rain after finishing the race during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts on April 17, 2023. – In wet and windy conditions, 2022 champion Chebet of Kenya took his time before surging away in the closing stages to become the first man to defend the Boston crown since compatriot Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot completed a hat trick of victories between 2006-2008. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Knox Robinson (L) and Jordan Phelps (R) celebrate after crossing the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Fernando Ferreira celebrates in the rain as he crosses the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Des Linden makes her way to the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts on April 17, 2023. – Kenya’s Hellen Obiri stormed to a brilliant victory in the women’s race at the Boston Marathon on Monday, winning a thrilling closing duel with Amane Beriso to take the title in only her second race over the distance. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Casey Gilbert celebrates after crossing the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Brooke Lorentz celebrates after crossing the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Runners make their way to the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts on April 17, 2023. – In wet and windy conditions, 2022 champion Chebet of Kenya took his time before surging away in the closing stages to become the first man to defend the Boston crown since compatriot Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot completed a hat trick of victories between 2006-2008. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 17: Diego Acosta Toussaint embraces another person after crossing the finish line during the 127th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Fastest field ever?
This year's Boston Marathon boasted the fastest and most-decorated elite field ever to assemble in Hopkinton.
For the first time, the race also included a nonbinary division, with 27 athletes registered.
A dozen former champions and participants from 120 countries and all 50 states were among the field running 10 years after the finish line bombing that killed three people and wounded hundreds more. The race also included 264 members of the One Fund community — those injured by the attack, their friends and family and charities associated with them.
A robotic dog named Stompy belonging to the Department of Homeland Security patrolled the start line before the race began, trailed by photographers capturing the peculiar sight. Officials said there were no known threats.
But before the athletes who ran Monday's Boston Marathon arrived in Hopkinton, they had to catch a ride to the start line for the iconic road race. Thousands of runners took the bus from the Boston Common to the start line in Hopkinton.
If you’re heading into the city on Sunday, remember that street parking is free and there are garages at the Common, the Pru and Copley.
Athletes like Boston Bruins legend Zdeno Chara, former Boston College and NFL quarterback Doug Flutie and ex-Red Sox players Brock Holt and Ryan Dempster all donned bibs that correlated with their old numbers.
They’re raising money to support different foundations for autism, cancer research and curing paralysis. Dempster ran for the foundation honoring Lingzi Lu, one of the victims who died in the attack 10 years ago.
“It’s really sentimental to me," Dempster said. "I started that day at Fenway Park on Patriots Day on the day of the unfortunate turn of events on the finish line. So I’m coming back 10 years later to run to raise money for the Lingzi Foundation.”
Shores Salter was a 20-year-old college student when he ran toward the smoke after the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon in 2013.
At 6 a.m. Monday, Boston Athletic Association race director Dave McGillivray sent out a group of about 20 from the Massachusetts National Guard that hikes the course annually.
Capt. Kanwar Singh, 33, of Malden, Massachusetts, said it’s a special day.
“Ten years ago, the city came to a halt. It’s an incredibly strong comeback, as a group together,” he said. “I tell people, never bet against Bostonians.”
