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Kenyans Benson Kipruto and Diana Kipyogei won the Boston Marathon – the first Boston to run in October in its 125-year history.
Kipruto won in the time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 51 seconds, and Kipyogei clocked a 2:24:45 in Monday’s race.
Kipruto stayed with the lead pack sharing the lead for some time, before dropping the pace with 5K to go, leaving the rest of the field to fight it out for second and third positions.
Ethiopian Lemi Berhanu (2:10:37) and Jemal Yimer (2:10:38) finished in second and third positions, respectively.
Diana Kipyogei of Kenya won the Boston Marathon on Monday, finishing in 2:24:45. This was the 27-year-old’s first victory in a major marathon. https://t.co/dRrrKXeZQk pic.twitter.com/BUeXrISfgO
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 11, 2021
In the women’s race Kipyogei, however, led for much of the way and cruised in for the victory, having something left in the tank.
Kenyan Edna Kiplagat clocked a second-place finish in 2:25:09, while the third-place finisher was Mary Ngugi in 2:25:20 for the Kenyan sweep.
The 30-year-old Kipruto is known for his Prague and Athens wins. His personal best time is 2:05:13 from the 2019 running of the Toronto Marathon.
In November 2020, the 27-year-old Kipyogei ran the Istanbul Marathon clocking her lifetime best of 2:22:06.
Place | Athlete | Time |
1 | Benson Kipruto (Kenya) | 2:09:51 |
2 | Lemi Berhanu (Ethiopia) | 2:10:37 |
3 | Jemal Yimer (Ethiopia) | 2:10:38 |
4 | Tsedat Ayana (Ethiopia) | 2:10:47 |
5 | Leonard Barsoton (Kenya) | 2:11:11 |
Place | Athlete | Time |
1 | Diana Kipyogei (Kenya) | 2:24:45 |
2 | Edna Kiplagat (Kenya) | 2:25:09 |
3 | Mary Ngugi (Kenya) | 2:25:20 |
4 | Monicah Ngige (Kenya) | 2:25:32 |
5 | Netsanet Gudeta (Ethiopia) | 2:26:09 |
The race was moved from April to October due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 event did not happen but a virtual version was offered.
*Cover image: Benson Kipruto and Diana Kipyogei of Kenya after winning the 125th Boston Marathon. (Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)