Patriots Day? It was more like Kenyan Day at the Boston Marathon.
But it wasn’t a bad day to be an American, either.
Geoffrey Kirui and Edna Kiplagat—both making their Boston debuts—ran to victory in Monday’s 121st running of the race.
Kirui outran Galen Rupp of the U.S. to take the men’s race in an official time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 37 seconds. Rupp, also running his first Boston, trailed by 21 seconds.
Kiplagat opened up a big lead heading into the dreaded Newton hills, and won in an official 2 hours, 21 minutes, 52 seconds.
But Jordan Hasay, racing her first ever marathon, finished third, and fellow American Desi Linden was fourth.
World’s best times for men’s, women’s wheelchairs
Marcel Hug has won the wheelchair race at the Boston Marathon in a world’s best time.
Hug outpushed 10-time winner Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa down Boylston Street to finish in an unofficial time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, 4 seconds. That’s a course record and the fastest time ever for a wheelchair marathon.
The straight-line Boston course doesn’t qualify for a world record, because of the possibility of a supportive tailwind like the one on Monday.
It was the third straight Boston win for the 32-year-old from Switzerland.
The old world’s best was 1:18:25.
The women have delivered another world best in the Boston Marathon wheelchair races.
Manuela Schar of Switzerland finished in an unofficial 1 hour, 28 minutes, 17 seconds to win the women’s wheelchair race on Monday.
It’s the first time ever that a woman has beaten the 1:30 mark.
Schar earned her first victory in Boston to join countryman Marcel Hug atop the podium and in the record books. The old best for a woman in the wheelchair race was 1:34:06.
