Rita Jeptoo, Keflezighi's historic Boston Marathon wins

Rita Jeptoo of Kenya successfully defended the women's title she said she could not enjoy a year ago. 'I came here to support the people in Boston and show them that we are here together,' she said.

|
Elise Amendola/AP
Rita Jeptoo, of Kenya, breaks the tape to win the women's division of the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21, 2014 in Boston.

The Boston Marathon celebrated its first American winner in 29 years on Monday, and on his race bib he had the names of the 2013 bombing victims.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" played over the Boylston Street finishing area in honor of Meb Keflizighi.

One year after a bombing there killed three people and left more than 260 injured, Keflezighi added Boston to a resume that includes the New York City Marathon title in 2009 and a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics.

"At the end, I just kept thinking, 'Boston strong. Boston strong,'" he said. "I was thinking give everything you have. If you get beat, that's it."

Rita Jeptoo of Kenya successfully defended the women's title she said she could not enjoy a year ago.

Running just two weeks before his 39th birthday, Keflezighi completed the 26.2 miles (42 kilometers) from Hopkinton to Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay in a personal-best 2 hours, 8 minutes, 37 seconds. He held off Kenya's Wilson Chebet, who finished 11 seconds behind.

Keflezighi went out early and built a big lead. But he was looking over his shoulder several times as Chebet closed the gap over the final two miles (three kilometers). After realizing he wouldn't be caught, Keflezighi raised his sunglasses, began pumping his right fist and made the sign of the cross. He broke into tears after crossing the finish line, then draped himself in the American flag.

No U.S. runner had won the race since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach took the women's title in 1985; the last American man to win was Greg Meyer in 1983. Meyer and Keflezighi embraced after the race.

"I'm blessed to be an American, and God bless America and God bless Boston for this special day," Keflezighi said.

Last year's men's champion, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, did not finish, and had to be picked up by a van about 21 miles (34 kilometers) in.

Jeptoo finished in a course-record 2:18:57. She is a three-time Boston Marathon champion, having also won in 2006.

"I came here to support the people in Boston and show them that we are here together," she said. "I decided to support them and show them we are here together."

Jeptoo broke away from a group of five runners at the 23-mile (37-kilometer) mark. Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia finished second in 2:19:59. Countrywoman Mare Dibaba was third at 2:19:52. All three women came in under the previous course record.

After breaking a 27-year American drought at the New York Marathon, Keflezighi contemplated retiring after the 2012 New York Marathon. But that race was canceled because of Superstorm Sandy, and he pulled out of the Boston Marathon last April because of injury. He watched the race from the stands at the finish line, but said he left about five minutes before the bombs went off.

He was the first American to win a medal in an Olympic marathon since Frank Shorter won gold in 1972 and silver in 1976.

Another American, Tatyana McFadden, celebrated her 25th birthday Monday by winning the women's wheelchair race for the second straight year. She was timed in in 1:35:06.

Ernst van Dyk of South Africa won the men's wheelchair division for a record 10th time. The 41-year-old crossed the finish line in 1:20:36.

Van Dyk holds the record for most all-categories Boston Marathon wins. This was his first win at this race since 2010.

Marathon officials said 35,755 runners registered for the race, with 32,408 unofficial starters. The field included just less than 5,000 runners who did not finish last year and accepted invitations to return this year.

____

Associated Press freelance writer Ken Powtak contributed to this report.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Rita Jeptoo, Keflezighi's historic Boston Marathon wins
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0421/Rita-Jeptoo-Keflezighi-s-historic-Boston-Marathon-wins
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe