October 11, (THEWILL) – Kenyan Benson Kipruto won the men’s race at the Boston Marathon with a tactical masterclass, while fellow Kenyan Diana Kipyogei won the women’s event.
Due to cancellations caused by the coronavirus epidemic, the world’s oldest marathon, which is usually held in April, was conducted 910 days after the previous edition in 2019.
CJ Albertson, a promising American, got off to a fast start and rapidly built a large lead in the men’s race, but he was unable to maintain his blistering pace. The leading pack caught up with 20 kilometres to go. With about 5 kilometres to go, Kipruto made his move after a couple of kilometres of settling in.
The Kenyan winner of the Battle of the Teams in Prague in May timed his run perfectly, and the rivals had no answer, crossing the finish line in 02:09:51. Lemi Berhanu and Jemal Yimer, both Ethiopians, finished second and third, respectively.
In the women’s race, around the 25-kilometer mark, Kenya’s Diana Kipyogei pulled away and led at 20 miles until being caught by Ethiopia’s Netsanet Gudeta, the 2018 world half marathon champion.
Kipyogei rallied again and opened up another advantage, at which time former winner Edna Kiplagat became the closest rival – but 27 seconds down at 40k. Kipyogei held on for the win, clocking in at 02:24:45 seconds ahead of Kiplagat and Mary Ngugi.
Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race ahead of Daniel Romanchuk a day after finishing second in the Chicago Marathon.
However, he fell six seconds short of the course record after admitting that he made a mistake at the end when he missed a curve and instead followed the lead car off the track. Hug would have recorded the quickest world leading time for an official marathon course if he had kept on track.
Manuela Schar won the women’s wheelchair event by a comfortable margin after winning the London Marathon.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
