Recently, on April 15th, the 126th Boston Marathon took place in the streets of the historic city. The 26.2-mile-long race is often regarded as one of the most prestigious road racing events among athletes. For the first time in over 10 years, Eliud Kipchoge – often referred to as the greatest runner of all time – did not participate in the race. Moreover, following the untimely death of world record holder Kelvin Kimputm, the results of the race seemed unpredictable. This year, two new running legends were made, each earning their first victory in the event; Sisay Lemma on the male side of the race arrived first at the finish line, and Hellen Obri did so as well on the women’s. Both races, however, played out in very different – yet exciting – ways.
Going into the race, Lemma was already established as a top runner for recording the fourth-fastest marathon time ever in Spain last December at a time of 2:01:48. The Ethiopian got off to a hot start to the race, scorching the first half of the Boston Marathon course and creating a lead of over half a mile. However, as the weather began to heat up, the 34-year-old’s pace cooled down. Although his record-setting pace of the first half started to slow, he ultimately still took home the trophy and set the 10th fastest time in the race’s history at 2:06:17.
Hellen Obri had already built her case as the greatest women’s marathoner after winning three consecutive marathons in Boston and New York in previous years. The 36-year-old, who has only run in five official marathons in her career, has quickly gained support from fans across the globe. For much of the race, a small group of runners leading the pack were neck and neck after the 10th mile, and every other runner was more than a mile behind. It was not until the final 15 seconds that Obri took the lead, outsprinting fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi to win by just 8 seconds. She successfully defended her Boston Marathon title with a time of 2:27:37.
With the Paris Olympics approaching, runners should be especially interested in keeping track of the Marathon that will feature Sisay Lemma and current world record holder Eliud Kipchoge. Lemma will try to become Ethiopia’s first Olympic Marathon gold medalist since 2000, while Kipchoge will aim for his third straight win. Jaiden Lee, a cross-country runner for Belmont Hill, exclaimed, “I am extremely excited for the Paris Olympic Marathon and cannot wait to see who will win.” Stay tuned for the Paris Olympics, which begins on August 10th.
