Bates faces very strong international marathon field
American was the fifth female finisher last year
The 128th running of the BAA Boston Marathon will feature the fastest women’s field in race history and the elite participants are incentivized to stage personal best performances.
Many of the world’s top professional marathoners in all capacities gathered on Friday morning at BAA race headquarters inside the ballroom at the Fairmont Copley to collect their bibs and meet with the media.
The women’s field — stacked with Olympians, Abbott World Marathon Majors winners and national champions — will assemble in Hopkinton Center on Monday morning for the arduous 26.2-mile trip to Copley Square.
Many of the top African runners in the men’s and women’s fields can secure a place on their respective Olympic teams for the upcoming summer games in Paris with a good showing in Boston.
“This is the best field that has ever been and I know that it is going to be run really fast,” said American hopeful Emma Bates, who trains in Boulder, Colo. “I know that people are going to be going out harder than normal trying to make the Olympic teams from their counties, especially Kenya.
“Considering that, it is going to be go from the gun. I am going have to be ready to go right away. Last year started off a little bit slower but this year they are not going to mess around with that.”
Bates ran a tactical and effective race in her Boston debut last April, finishing fifth after setting the pace over long stretches for the course. Her time of 2:22:10 was the second fastest by an American women, just shy of the record 2:22:02 set by Olympic medalist Shalane Flanagan of Marblehead in 2014.
“I think I really surprised a lot of people last year being the top American and taking fifth in this race and I really want to put on a show for everybody and make them proud, that’s my biggest thing,” said Bates. “Leading the race was the coolest thing I have ever done in my career, that’s for sure.
“I had sights on trying to win the Boston Marathon but for it to actually come to fruition, like being in the lead and trying to set myself up for the most success I could have on that day was really special. As long as I trust myself, as long as I can go after it, then I can do pretty big things.”
Bates is coming of an injury she sustained in the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 8, 2023. Bates was on a sub-2:20:00 pace when she stepped in a pothole that resulted in a torn plantar facia. The injury prevented Bates from competing in the U.S. Olympic time trials for Paris. Bates built herself back up with Boston being the singular focus of her training.
“That was the first major injury of my career so I didn’t really know how to navigate it at first,” said Bates. “I had a great support system with my coach and my team and spent countless hours on the bike just trying to maintain my fitness.
“I wasn’t able to get back in time for the Olympic trials but that just meant I was able to join this race and build my strength. I am so much stronger than I was in many ways because I was able to work on those weaknesses. You have to find a silver lining in each situation and that is kind of what I did with this injury.”
The mission of every elite woman in the field is to dethrone reigning champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya, who complemented her victory in Boston (2:21:38) by winning the New York Marathon (2:27:23) last November.
“I know that she (Obiri) has the speed when it comes down to the last 10K,” said Bates. “So maybe you try and run it out of her before it gets to that final 10k. But I know if there are six miles to go it is probably her race.”
Obiri is looking to become the first repeat winner in the women’s field since fourtime Boston winner Catherine Ndereba of Kenya did it in 2004 and 2005.
Obiri is further motivated to repeat because it would secure her spot on the Kenyan Olympic team. The other top Kenyan women marathoners in the field like Judith Korir, two-time Boston winner Edna Kiplagat and Mary Ngugi-Cooper are incentivized by the same opportunity.
“I would say that we are all under a lot of pressure and this one (Boston) will depend on how they will select us for the Kenya national team,” said Obiri. “For me I want to work extra hard to be selected.”
Obiri’s main competition will be Ethiopians Tadu Teshome and Hiwot Gebremaryam, both of whom have run sub-2:18:00 marathons. Gebremaryam ran a personal best 2:17:59 at Valencia in 2023 and placed eighth in her Boston debut last year with a time of 2:24:30. Teshome ran her personal-best time of 2:17:36 at Valencia in 2022 and will be making her Boston debut.
“At this stage I am running very fast and I’ve been training a lot,” said Teshome. “I am ready to run the Boston Marathon and to do my best and win that.”