The city of Boston on April 15 held its 128th Marathon, bringing tens of thousands of runners from all over the world to the city in a show of grit and athleticism.
Since its first race, the status of the Marathon has gained high esteem from the worldwide competitive running community, something that is apparent in the increase of participants throughout the decades. The first Boston Marathon, held in 1897, had a participant-list that included only 18 people; in 2022, around 28,500 runners were registered. Beyond the simple statistics, the city itself becomes more vibrant by the presence of countless national and international athletes and spectators.
April 15th is especially significant to Boston, because the residents of the city remember and reflect on the response to the tragedy of the terrorist bombing during the 2013 race. The city has commemorated this day as “One Boston Day.”
Besides the somber remembrance, this day also marks the 100th anniversary of the Marathon adopting the official length of regulation marathons, which is 26.2 miles. The race moved from Ashland to its current starting point in Hopkinton, in 1924 in order to achieve the exact length.
Ethiopian runner Sisay Lemma, 33, achieved the overall first-place finish. Lemma told the Athletic that after not finishing the race in his last three outings his plan was “to break the course record, but it’s so hilly up and down and that made me tired a little bit.” But he did not beat the course record, he finished the race in 2:06:17. Lemma stopped Evans Chebet, who won the race in 2022 and 2023, from winning his third consecutive first-place finish. Chebet finished third, behind Mohammad Esa, another Ethiopian long-distance runner. Hellen Obiri, a Kenyan distance runner, finished at first-place in the Womens’ race, winning her second consecutive Boston Marathon, which makes her the first woman since 2005 to win two consecutive Boston Marathons.
Obiri told NBC10 Boston that “to win here, I’m extremely happy. Winning two in a row is something precious for me.” Sharon Lokedi, fellow runner and national of Obiri, finished second. The fastest Boston resident to finish the marathon was Dr. Miles Batty from West Roxbury, who finished the race in 2:25:00 and came in 53rd place overall. The men’s wheelchair was won by Marcel Hug, the Swiss athlete, who set a new course record by finishing the race in 1:15:35. The women’s wheelchair race was won by Eden Rainbow-Cooper, making her the first British woman to finish the Boston Marathon.
The importance of the Boston Marathon is demonstrated through its ability to bring together both the residents of Massachusetts and athletes from all over the world. It is this power to unite countless people together, participants and spectators, that makes the Boston Marathon a widely anticipated and celebrated event.
