The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1. Americans enjoy strong marathon
Best Boston effort in decades excites Americans in top 10.
Americans grabbed two of the top four women’s spots and six of the top 10 for men in Monday’s Boston Marathon — the first time that’s happened since the race went professional in 1986. At the same time, Kenyans reasserted their dominance, breaking the tape in the men’s and women’s races.
BOSTON — The Kenyans were back in front Monday after a relative lull in which they failed to win the world’s most prestigious marathon twice in the past three years.
And in a surprising twist, American runners grabbed spots on the podium.
Geoffrey Kirui won the 121st Boston Marathon, pulling away from three-time U.S. Olympian Galen Rupp with two miles to go to give Kenya its first men’s victory in five years. Edna Kiplagat won the women’s race to complete the Kenyan sweep.
Both won in their Boston Marathon debuts.
They were followed closely by Americans who grabbed two of the top four women’s spots and six of the top 10 for men — the best U.S. performance since the race went professional in 1986.
“It’s so exciting to see Americans being competitive here,” said Rupp, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist who made his Boston debut. “It’s a real exciting time. And it’s awesome to see American distance running on the upswing and being competitive in these races.”
Kirui finished in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 37 seconds and claimed the $150,000 first prize. Rupp was 21 seconds back, and Japan’s Suguru Osako 30 seconds behind him. Rounding out the top 10 were runners from California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Utah.
“American distance running is looking good today,” said sixth-place finisher Abdi Abdirahman, a Somali immigrant and Tucson resident who is a four-time Olympian. “We have the podium for both men and women, so the future is great.”
Meb Keflezighi, 41, who ended a three-decade U.S. victory drought in Boston by winning in 2014, finished 13th Monday in 2:17:00 despite pain in his quads. He said he plans to enter the New York Marathon, which he won in 2009, one last time before retiring this fall.
“The crowd got me through the finish line,” he said.
Kiplagat finished in 2:21:52, adding the victory to two world championships and wins in London, New York and Los Angeles. She pulled ahead of Rose Chelimo of Bahrain in the Newton Hills, which end near the 21-mile mark, to win by 59 seconds.
American Jordan Hasay, making her first run at the 26.2-mile distance, was third and Desi Linden was fourth — the first time since 1991 that two U.S. women finished in the top four. The last U.S. woman to win was Lisa Larsen Weidenbach in 1985.
“We’re putting more numbers in there and it’s just a matter of time,” said Linden, the 2011 runner-up by 2 seconds. “When Americans break the tape, it’s going to be a big deal here.”
Kenya had won either the men’s or women’s race every year since 1991 before being shut out in 2014 and again last year.
Kirui, 25, won in only his third marathon. Even when he ran shorter distances, he had his eye on Boston.
“In my mind, I was sure that one day I would win this race,” he said. “To come here to Boston, I knew I was going to face my colleagues who have run many times here. ... I knew I would challenge some of the champions who have been competing here.”
Earlier Monday, city officials announced plans for memorials to mark the sites where two bombs exploded during the 2013 race, killing three spectators and injuring more than 250.