Meb Keflezighi Becomes First American To Win Boston Marathon Men's Race Since 1983, proclaims CBS News. Rita Jeptoo of Kenya won the women's competition again this year in this 118th years of this 26.2 mile race. Kenyan Chebet finished second in men's competition 11 seconds after Keflezighi.
We celebrate Patriot's Day holiday in Boston today, and the weather could not be more perfect for the marathon celebration.
Keflezighi looked over his shoulder several times over the final mile. After realizing he wouldn't be caught, he raised his sunglasses, began pumping his right fist and made the sign of the cross.
He's the first U.S. winner since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach took the women's title in 1985; the last American man to win was Greg Meyer in 1983.
Jeptoo clocked 2 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds.
She becomes the seventh three-time Boston Marathon champion.
Jeptoo broke away from a group of five runners at the 23-mile (37-kilometer) mark. Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia finished second with an unofficial time of 2:19:59.
Rita Jeptoo defends women’s title, reports the Boston Globe.
Separating herself from the lead pack with a long and punishing stride, Rita Jeptoo of Kenya became a three-time winner of the Boston Marathon when she won the 118th running, flying to the finish in a course-record time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds. She bettered the previous mark (2:20:43) set in 2002 by Margaret Okayo of Kenya. It was Jeptoo’s second consecutive Boston victory after she won last year’s race, which was marred by a pair of bomb blasts near the Boylston Street finish, in 2:26.
With 5 kilometers remaining on Monday, Jeptoo ran without peer as she pressed the accelerator, splintering a lead pack of four runners to run the eighth fastest marathon ever for a woman. Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia finished second, also bettering the course record with a 2:20:00 while Mare DiBaba of Ethiopia finished third.
Flanagan, who finished fourth last year in her Boston debut in 2:27:08, set the early pace as half of the runners in the lead pack were forced to take water after completing the 5K mark in a blistering 16:12 pace, which was almost 30 seconds faster than the course-record pace.
Rita Jebtoo's pure joy of crossing the finish line first was not apparent in the video so this photo may help share here ebulation
Update: Brillig and Rugbymom call our attention to an error in this CBS headline which I replicated until this correction update. As Brillig notes:
Women's wheelchair winner, American Tatyana McFadden, successfully defended her 2013 title to take the finish in 1:35:06.
Men's wheelchair winner, South African Ernst Van Dyk, second in last year's race, finished first in a time of 1:20:36.
Congratulations Tatyana and Ernst!!!
And, Rugbymom adds:
The commentators keep saying what your headline says. But more accurately, he is the first American to win the men's open division since 1985 -- actually since 1983. (The 1985 win was in the women's open division.)
Jean Driscoll (Illinois? Wisconsin?) won the women's wheelchair division seven consecutive times (1990-96), and again in 2000. Last year's women's wheelchair winner, who repeated this year, is Tatyana McFadden of Illinois. The most recent US men's wheelchair winner was in 1993.
This year's Boston Marathon was held under unprecedented security after a year after a pair of pressure-cooker bombs killed three people and wounded 260 others.
The mood was still upbeat, as crowd near the finish line applauded for Boston police as the Rolling Stone's ""Start Me Up' blared over loudspeakers."
CBS reports a heavy security presence including a many police officers even on rooftops, helicopters, and bomb-sniffing dogs. Runners had to use clear plastic bags for their belongings.
Today is Patriots Day in Massachusetts, a state holiday, although many of us think of it as Boston Marathon Day. A large party will be held at Fenway Park tonight. Last night the 30,000 plus marathoner, engaged in ritual "carbohydrate loading," Many hundred thousand of the rest of us join in for symbolic support, often eating extra pasta in our North End, or watching on TV from home. I'm such a strong supporter of he marathoners I continue to "carbohydrate load" even while watching during the race.
A wonderful day in the Boston area.
11:29 AM PT: Added Youtube video summaries of both men's and women's division race and Boston Globe article on Rita Jeptoo a few minutes after first publication. Will add two additional photos of both winners crossing finish line in a few more minutes.
1:22 PM PT: Please check out gulfgal98's comment below for the best background on Meb Keflizighi I've read anywhere. If she give me permission I will replicated it here, Until then please follow this link or scroll below.
Gulfgal98
3:39 PM PT: Gulfgal98 has given me permission to replicate her comment below here which I linked just about. Thanks for sharing your excitement Gulfgal98
I am so ecstatic (6+ / 0-)
As a fan, a former distance runner, and a one time qualifier for Boston, I am so happy to see one of the really great guys in the sport win today. Meb's victory was a very popular one, not just because he is an American, but also because he is a really good person too.
As background, Meb Keflezighi was the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon and finished 4th in the same event in 2012. He also won the New York Marathon in 2009.
One of the things that makes today's win so spectacular to me is that in about two weeks, Meb will be 39 years old! Today's win makes him the oldest winner of Boston since 1930. And what makes that even more spectacular is that he set a personal best time of 2:08:27 which is nearly one minute faster than his previous best time!
Meb Keflezighi is not one of the all time fastest marathoners by a long shot. But he is known as a big race competitor who knows how to prepare mentally and strategize well to win. Much of marathon running is strategic, both from a physical and mental standpoint. Today was a very good example of his excellent strategy when he broke open the race early and many of the faster runners failed to try to reel him in until it was too late.
In addition to Meb Keflezighi, two other American men finished in the top 8. I cannot remember American runners doing so well in a long time.
On the women's side, Rita Jeptoo of Kenya was in a class by herself once she decided to break from the five women lead group. She was clicking in at just over five minute miles for the last two miles and never looked the least bit stressed at all. She demolished the women's course record by nearly two minutes with a time of 2:18:57. The second place woman, Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia, also broke the course record.
American Shalane Flanagan set an early blistering pace but fell off to finish 7th. Still she broke the American women's course record today. Another American woman Desiree Linden finshed 10th.
It was a great day in Boston at the Boston Marathon.
3:44 PM PT: Thanks to brillig and Rugbymom for calling my attention to an oversight of the wheelchair division, which I', sorry for and correcting now.
[new] ALSO among today's winners (5+ / 0-)
Women's wheelchair winner, American Tatyana McFadden, successfully defended her 2013 title to take the finish in 1:35:06.
Men's wheelchair winner, South African Ernst Van Dyk, second in last year's race, finished first in a time of 1:20:36.
Congratulations Tatyana and Ernst!!!
"But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die." - - Cherokee saying
by brillig on Mon Apr 21, 2014 at 01:38:34 PM PDT
3:48 PM PT: And Rugbymom calls my attention my oversight of the wheelchair division, which also makes the title I quoted from CBS incorrect which I will correct.
One minor quibble (1+ / 0-)
The commentators keep saying what your headline says. But more accurately, he is the first American to win the men's open division since 1985 -- actually since 1983. (The 1985 win was in the women's open division.)
Jean Driscoll (Illinois? Wisconsin?) won the women's wheelchair division seven consecutive times (1990-96), and again in 2000. Last year's women's wheelchair winner, who repeated this year, is Tatyana McFadden of Illinois. The most recent US men's wheelchair winner was in 1993.
But we still treat the men's open division as "THE Boston marathon" and all the others as hyphenated-sorta-marathons. It's tiresome.
by rugbymom on Mon Apr 21, 2014 at 03:24:32 PM PDT