Africans Runners Dominate Boston Marathon

20 Apr, 2015

Ethiopian runner Lelisa Desisa finished first in the Boston Marathon on Monday, reclaiming the top spot in a race he last won two years ago when it was struck by a deadly bombing attack.

Caroline Rotich of Kenya led the women’s field, affirming African athletes’ dominance at the race.

Desisa, who famously gave his winner’s medal to the city following the 2013 bombing, pulled ahead to sprint down Boylston Street alone, finishing with a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 17 seconds.

“Strong Boston!” Desisa shouted after he crossed the finish line, in a version of the “Boston Strong” motto that became the city’s rallying cry after the April 15, 2013, attack that killed three and injured 264.

He has no plans to donate this year’s medal.

“This medal is, I think it is for me,” Desisa told reporters.

Kenya’s Rotich had a more dramatic finish, besting Ethiopia’s Mare DiBaba in a sprint down Boylston Street, turning in a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes and 55 seconds.

Security was high near the start line in Hopkinton, along the 26.2 mile (42.16 km) course and around the finish line in Boston, in recognition of the bombing, one of the most visible attacks on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

Desisa unseated reigning champion Meb Keflezighi of California, whose 2014 victory marked the first time that a U.S. man had won the race in three decades.

Keflezighi, who finished eighth, crossed the line hand-in-hand with another U.S. runner, Hilary Dionne, who finished 15th in the women’s field.

“I’ve never met her. I had to sprint hard to catch up with her to do that,” Keflezighi said afterward. “It was fun to do that.”

The top U.S. male finisher was Dathan Ritzenhein, of Michigan, who finished seventh.

Reuters 

Image Brian Snyder/Reuters 

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