Benson Kipruto – Photo Credit: Flickr 

Benson Kipruto of Kenya won the Boston Marathon on Monday in two hours, nine minutes and 51 seconds for his first major marathon title.

CJ Albertson of America set an aggressive early pace to lead the field by two minutes and 13 seconds through the first half. However, he saw his headstart disintegrate over hilly terrain after the 20-mile mark, as a tight pack overtook him. 

Kipruto also won the Prague Marathon in May. The Kenyan pulled away with less than 10 kilometres to go and had secured a commanding 41-second lead heading into the last mile. The act led to cheers along Boylston Street as he broke the tape.

Meanwhile, Lemi Berhanu and Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia finished second and third place respectively.

The temperatures on that day hovered around 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6°C) as the professional men’s and women’s groups took off from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, under humid conditions for the 125th running of the world’s oldest annual marathon.

The organisers pushed the race back from its usual April date due to the Covid-19 pandemic and made other adjustments to the race. This includes capping participation to 20 000 entrants and requiring either a Covid-19 vaccine or proof of a negative test.

The change in the date made for a tight autumn racing schedule, with the London Marathon pushed back from its usual April running to 3^rd October and the Chicago Marathon moved forward as planned to 10th October. The race was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.