Hellen Obiri and Sisay Lemma surge to victory at Boston Marathon

Kenyan Hellen Obiri broke away late from a large pack to become the first woman to repeat as Boston Marathon champion since 2005, crossing the finish line Monday in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 37 seconds.

Obiri, 34, split from more than a dozen runners in the second half of the race and then beat off a challenge from her compatriot Sharon Lodeki in the final five kilometers for the win. It led a Kenyan podium victory, with Lodeki crossing second in 2:22:45. Two-time champion and 44-year-old Edna Kiplagat finished third in 2:23:21.

In the men’s race, Ethiopian Sisay Lemma claimed victory after a solo advance early in the race gave him the platform to finish first in 2:06:17. His compatriot Mohamed Esa took second place, 41 seconds behind Lemma, while defending champion Evans Chebet of Kenya came third, one minute and five seconds behind the winner. 33-year-old Lemma set a blistering pace until fatigue set in towards the end, but neither Esa nor Chebet could overtake him, although Esa made a late surge to secure second place.

Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba was the last repeat Boston women’s champion in 2005, part of her streak of four titles in five years. Obiri won both her debut in Boston last April and the New York Marathon last year. She is a two-time Olympic medalist and provisional member of the Kenya Olympic team.

Emma Bates, who led the second half of the race, was the top American finisher in twelfth place (2:27:14). Sara Hall was 15th (2:27:58), followed by 2018 Boston winner Des Linden in 16th (2:28:27).

In the men’s wheelchair event, Marcel Hug of Switzerland overcame a crash to capture his seventh Boston title, setting a new course record of 1:15:33 on Monday. He surpassed his previous course mark of 1:17:06 from last year and was just seven seconds away from setting a new world record. It continues its streak of 11 consecutive major marathon titles.

American Daniel Romanchuk came second in 1:20:37, followed by Britain’s David Weir in 1:22:12. The 38-year-old Hug took advantage of the cool temperatures at the start of the race and had a lead of more than 30 seconds over his fellow competitors halfway through.

In the women’s race, Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper won her first Boston crown in a time of 1:35:11. She was followed by Switzerland’s Manuela Schar in 1:36.41 and Australia’s Madison de Rozario in 1:39.20.

It was Rainbow-Cooper’s first major victory. The 22-year-old finished seventh in Boston a year ago. Her previous top finishes in a major were second in Toyko this year and second in Berlin in 2023.

Hug was cruising until he crashed as he made the turn at the start of the Newton Hills portion of the course, skidding and hitting a barrier about mile 18. But he quickly recovered and maintained an almost four-minute lead on the field. Hug and Rainbow-Cooper received $40,000 for the win and a $50,000 bonus for setting the record.