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Boston Marathon
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Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon Runners nearing the finish line of the Boston Marathon, 2016.

Boston Marathon

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Boston Marathon, footrace from Hopkinton, Massachusetts, U.S., to the Back Bay section of Boston, a distance of 42,195 metres (26 miles 385 yards). The world’s oldest annual marathon, it was held first in 1897 and annually thereafter on Patriots’ Day (originally April 19; from 1969 the third Monday in April), which commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord (1775) in the American Revolutionary War. The Boston Marathon is one of the world’s six major marathons, along with the New York City, Chicago, Berlin, London, and Tokyo marathons. It is sponsored by the Boston Athletic Association. Runners (some 20,000 in the early 21st century, as opposed to about 200 in 1960) come from all over the world to participate.

Boston Marathon; Catherine Ndereba
Boston Marathon; Catherine NderebaCatherine Ndereba of Kenya winning the 2000 Boston Marathon.

The marathon’s first winner was John J. McDermott, who completed the 24.5-mile (39.4-km) race in less than three hours. The race length was increased to its current distance in 1927. In 1966 Roberta Gibb became the first woman to complete the race, though she ran without an official number. In 1967 Kathy Switzer, who had given her name as K.V. Switzer on the race application, was issued an official number and completed the marathon, although the race director tried to have her removed from the course. In 1972 the Boston Marathon became the first marathon race officially to admit women runners. Three years later it became the first major marathon to hold a wheelchair race.

The miles-long history of the marathon
The miles-long history of the marathonThe marathon is said to commemorate the feat of a Greek soldier in 490 bce.
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In 2013 two bombs exploded near the finish line of the marathon approximately five hours after the race started, resulting in three deaths and more than 260 injured spectators and participants. The subsequent search for the suspects in the terrorist bombing led to a deadly shoot-out and a manhunt that shut down the Greater Boston area for a day.

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Winners of the Boston Marathon are provided in the table.

Boston Marathon
year men* hr:min:sec
*Won by a U.S. runner except as indicated.
1897 John J. McDermott 2:55:10
1898 Ronald J. MacDonald (Can.) 2:42:00
1899 Lawrence J. Brignolia 2:54:38
1900 John J. Caffery (Can.) 2:39:44
1901 John J. Caffery (Can.) 2:29:23
1902 Sammy Mellor 2:43:12
1903 John Lorden 2:41:29
1904 Michael Spring 2:38:04
1905 Frederick Lorz 2:38:25
1906 Tim Ford 2:45:45
1907 Tim Longboat (Can.) 2:24:24
1908 Thomas Morrissey 2:25:43
1909 Henri Renaud 2:53:36
1910 Fred Cameron (Can.) 2:28:52
1911 Clarence DeMar 2:21:39
1912 Michael Ryan 2:21:18
1913 Fritz Carlson 2:25:14
1914 James Duffy (Can.) 2:25:01
1915 Edouard Fabre (Can.) 2:31:41
1916 Arthur Roth 2:27:16
1917 Bill Kennedy 2:28:37
1918 not held
1919 Carl Linder 2:29:13
1920 Peter Trivoulides 2:29:31
1921 Frank Zuna 2:18:57
1922 Clarence DeMar 2:18:10
1923 Clarence DeMar 2:23:47
1924 Clarence DeMar 2:29:40
1925 Charles Mellor 2:33:00
1926 John C. Miles (Can.) 2:25:40
1927 Clarence DeMar 2:40:22
1928 Clarence DeMar 2:37:07
1929 John C. Miles (Can.) 2:33:08
1930 Clarence DeMar 2:34:48
1931 James P. Hennigan 2:46:45
1932 Paul DeBruyn (Ger.) 2:33:36
1933 Leslie S. Pawson 2:31:01
1934 Dave Komonen (Can.) 2:32:53
1935 John A. Kelley 2:32:07
1936 Ellison M. Brown 2:33:40
1937 Walter Young (Can.) 2:33:20
1938 Leslie S. Pawson 2:35:34
1939 Ellison M. Brown 2:28:51
1940 Gerard Côté (Can.) 2:28:28
1941 Leslie S. Pawson 2:30:38
1942 Joe Smith 2:26:51
1943 Gerard Côté (Can.) 2:28:25
1944 Gerard Côté (Can.) 2:31:50
1945 John A. Kelley 2:30:40
1946 Stylianos Kyriakides (Greece) 2:29:27
1947 Suh Yun-Bok (Korea) 2:25:39
1948 Gerard Côté (Can.) 2:31:02
1949 Karl Leandersson (Swed.) 2:31:50
1950 Ham Kee-Yong (S.Kor.) 2:32:39
1951 Shigeki Tanaka (Japan) 2:27:45
1952 Doroteo Flores (Guat.) 2:31:53
1953 Keizo Yamada (Japan) 2:18:51
1954 Veikko L. Karvonen (Fin.) 2:20:39
1955 Hideo Hamamura (Japan) 2:18:22
1956 Antti Viskari (Fin.) 2:14:14
1957 John J. Kelley 2:20:05
1958 Franjo Mihalic (Yugos.) 2:25:54
1959 Eino Oksanen (Fin.) 2:22:42
1960 Paavo Kotila (Fin.) 2:20:54
1961 Eino Oksanen (Fin.) 2:23:39
1962 Eino Oksanen (Fin.) 2:23:48
1963 Aurele Vandendriessche (Belg.) 2:18:58
1964 Aurele Vandendriessche (Belg.) 2:19:59
1965 Morio Shigematsu (Japan) 2:16:33
1966 Kenji Kimihara (Japan) 2:17:11
1967 David McKenzie (N.Z.) 2:15:45
1968 Amby Burfoot 2:22:17
1969 Yoshiaki Unetani (Japan) 2:13:49
1970 Ron Hill (U.K.) 2:10:30
1971 Alvaro Mejía (Colom.) 2:18:45
1972 Olavi Suomalainen (Fin.) 2:15:39
1973 Jon Anderson 2:16:03
1974 Neil Cusack (Ire.) 2:13:39
1975 Bill Rodgers 2:09:55
1976 Jack Fultz 2:20:19
1977 Jerome Drayton (Can.) 2:14:46
1978 Bill Rodgers 2:10:13
1979 Bill Rodgers 2:09:27
1980 Bill Rodgers 2:12:11
1981 Toshihiko Seko (Japan) 2:09:26
1982 Alberto Salazar 2:08:52
1983 Greg Meyer 2:09:00
1984 Geoff Smith (U.K.) 2:10:34
1985 Geoff Smith (U.K.) 2:14:05
1986 Robert de Castella (Austl.) 2:07:51
1987 Toshihiko Seko (Japan) 2:11:50
1988 Ibrahim Hussein (Kenya) 2:08:43
1989 Abebe Mekonnen (Eth.) 2:09:06
1990 Gelindo Bordin (Italy) 2:08:19
1991 Ibrahim Hussein (Kenya) 2:11:06
1992 Ibrahim Hussein (Kenya) 2:08:14
1993 Cosmas N'Deti (Kenya) 2:09:33
1994 Cosmas N'Deti (Kenya) 2:07:15
1995 Cosmas N'Deti (Kenya) 2:09:22
1996 Moses Tanui (Kenya) 2:09:16
1997 Lameck Aguta (Kenya) 2:10:34
1998 Moses Tanui (Kenya) 2:07:34
1999 Joseph Chebet (Kenya) 2:09:52
2000 Elijah Lagat (Kenya) 2:09:47
2001 Lee Bong-Ju (S.Kor.) 2:09:43
2002 Rodgers Rop (Kenya) 2:09:02
2003 Robert K. Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2:10:11
2004 Timothy Cherigat (Kenya) 2:10:37
2005 Hailu Negussie (Eth.) 2:11:45
2006 Robert K. Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2:07:14
2007 Robert K. Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2:14:13
2008 Robert K. Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2:07:46
2009 Deriba Merga (Eth.) 2:08:42
2010 Robert Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2:05:52
2011 Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya) 2:03:02
2012 Wesley Korir (Kenya) 2:12:40
2013 Lelisa Desisa (Eth.) 2:10:22
2014 Meb Keflezighi 2:08:37
2015 Lelisa Desisa (Eth.) 2:09:17
2016 Lemi Berhanu Hayle (Eth.) 2:12:45
2017 Geoffrey Kirui (Kenya) 2:09:37
2018 Kawauchi Yuki (Japan) 2:15:58
2019 Lawrence Cherono (Kenya) 2:07:57
2020 not held
2021 Benson Kipruto (Kenya) 2:09:51
2022 Evans Chebet (Kenya) 2:06:51
2023 Evans Chebet (Kenya) 2:05:54
2024 Sisay Lemma (Eth.) 2:06:17
year women* hr:min:sec
1972 Nina Kuscsik 3:10:26
1973 Jacqueline Hansen 3:05:59
1974 Michiko Gorman 2:47:11
1975 Liane Winter (W.Ger.) 2:42:24
1976 Kim Merritt 2:47:10
1977 Michiko Gorman 2:48:33
1978 Gayle Barron 2:44:52
1979 Joan Benoit 2:35:15
1980 Jacqueline Gareau (Can.) 2:34:28
1981 Allison Roe (N.Z.) 2:26:46
1982 Charlotte Teske (W.Ger.) 2:29:33
1983 Joan Benoit 2:22:43
1984 Lorraine Moller (N.Z.) 2:29:28
1985 Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach 2:34:06
1986 Ingrid Kristiansen (Nor.) 2:24:55
1987 Rosa Mota (Port.) 2:25:21
1988 Rosa Mota (Port.) 2:24:30
1989 Ingrid Kristiansen (Nor.) 2:24:33
1990 Rosa Mota (Port.) 2:25:24
1991 Wanda Panfil (Pol.) 2:24:18
1992 Olga Markova (Russia) 2:23:43
1993 Olga Markova (Russia) 2:25:27
1994 Uta Pippig (Ger.) 2:21:45
1995 Uta Pippig (Ger.) 2:25:11
1996 Uta Pippig (Ger.) 2:27:12
1997 Fatuma Roba (Eth.) 2:26:23
1998 Fatuma Roba (Eth.) 2:23:21
1999 Fatuma Roba (Eth.) 2:23:25
2000 Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) 2:26:11
2001 Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) 2:23:53
2002 Margaret Okayo (Kenya) 2:20:43
2003 Svetlana Zakharova (Russia) 2:25:20
2004 Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) 2:24:27
2005 Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) 2:25:13
2006 Rita Jeptoo (Kenya) 2:23:38
2007 Lidiya Grigoryeva (Russia) 2:29:18
2008 Dire Tune (Eth.) 2:25:25
2009 Salina Kosgei (Kenya) 2:32:16
2010 Teyba Erkesso (Eth.) 2:26:11
2011 Carolina Kilel (Kenya) 2:22:36
2012 Sharon Cherop (Kenya) 2:31:50
2013 Rita Jeptoo (Kenya) 2:26:25
2014 Rita Jeptoo (Kenya) 2:18:57
2015 Caroline Rotich (Kenya) 2:24:55
2016 Atsede Baysa (Eth.) 2:29:19
2017 Edna Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:21:52
2018 Desiree Linden 2:39:54
2019 Worknesh Degefa (Eth.) 2:23:31
2020 not held
2021 Diana Kipyokei (Kenya) 2:24:45
2022 Peres Jepchirchir (Kenya) 2:21:01
2023 Hellen Obiri (Kenya) 2:21:38
2024 Hellen Obiri (Kenya) 2:22:37
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Meg Matthias.