Boston Marathon 2023 LIVE: Updates and result as Eliud Kipchoge beaten after bombing remembered 10 years on
Evans Chebet stunned Kipchoge to win the men’s elite race on the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing
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Your support makes all the difference.The great Eliud Kipchoge was shockingly beaten at the 127th running of the Boston Marathon as defending champion Evans Chebet brilliantly retained his men’s elite title.
The world’s oldest annual marathon event once again delivered high drama as world record holder Kipchoge was stunningly dropped around the 20-mile mark and Chebet then opened up a lead over the chasing pack on the iconic Heartbreak Hill.
The Kenyan held off the challenge of Gabriel Geay and his training partner Benson Kipruto to finish with a time of 2:05:54 and become the first man since 2008 to retain the Boston Marathon elite men’s title.
This year’s edition held special significance as it is the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, a domestic terrorist attack in 2013 that saw three people killed and hundreds injured. For a marathon that is fittingly held on Patriots’ Day in the United States, the bombing was remembered and those killed were commemorated with a military march before the racing began.
Follow all the reaction from the event with our blog below:
What is Heartbreak Hill?
Hills define the Boston Marathon route with runners dreading one specific hill in particular nicknamed Heartbreak Hill located between Mile 20 and 21 in Newton.
Heartbreak Hill is the last of four hills in Newton which begin at Mile 16. It is not the steepest or highest hill along the course - it makes only an 88 foot ascent over a 0.4 mile stretch near Boston College.
However, runners consider Heartbreak Hill to be the most challenging stretch of the course because it occurs so far along in the race, at a point when their energy and stamina is almost depleted.
Don’t forget about the four other hills that come just before it too.
What is the route for the 2023 Boston Marathon?
The course begins in Hopkinton, a town in rural Massachusetts, with runners setting off from Main Street and heading down Route 135. They will plod through the towns of Ashland, Framingham, and Natick, before joining Route 16 shortly after Wellesley. Hanging a right on to Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30) by the fire station in Newton Lower Falls, the course continues over the Newton Hills and by Boston College, a university, before arriving at Cleveland Circle via Chestnut Hill Avenue.
The runners will then negotiate a left turn on to Beacon Street as it nears the finish, turning right on to Hereford Street, left on to Boylston Street and eventually concluding near the Boston Public Library in Copley Square in the heart of the city.
Boston Marathon 2023
It’s been quite a foggy start this morning for the competitors at the Boston Marathon and the weather is set to be glum for most of the day.
There is even a thunderstorm expected in the late afternoon US time but that shouldn’t affect the professional races.
Boston Marathon 2023
Making their Boston Marathon debuts in the women’s race are Sharon Lokedi of Kenya (the New York City Marathon winner last year), Lonah Salpeter of Israel (who finished second in New York City) and Amane Beriso of Ethiopia (who has run the third-fastest marathon in history).
Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia and Mary Ngugi of Kenya (last year’s second- and third-place finishers, respectively) return along with past winners Edna Kiplagat of Kenya and Des Linden of the United States.
Boston Marathon 2023
The men’s and women’s professional fields setting off pretty soon.
The men’s race includes marathon world record holder and two-time Olympic gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, 2022 Boston Marathon champion Evans Chebet of Kenya, 2021 winner Benson Kipruto of Kenya and two-time winner Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia.
This should be a fine and interesting contest.
Sir Mo Farah prepares for his final London Marathon with low-key showing in Gabon
Sir Mo Farah finished seventh in the Port-Gentil 10km in Gabon as he stepped up preparations for what is expected to be his last London Marathon.
The 40-year-old double Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion crossed the line in 30 minutes and 41 seconds in a race dominated by Kenyan athletes, who occupied 10 of the first 12 places.
They were led home by Vincent Kipkemoi in 28mins and 11secs, 11 seconds ahead of Boniface Kibiwott with Emmanuel Kiprop third in 28mins and 29secs.
Cleophas Meyan completed an all-Kenyan top four with compatriot Moses Kibet sixth behind Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele.
Farah, who announced in January that 2023 was likely to be his final year of competitive racing before retirement, has been training in Ethiopia ahead of London.
Mo Farah prepares for final London Marathon with low-key showing in Gabon
The big race in England takes place on 23 April
Boston Marathon 2023
Des Linden is the only American woman to win the Boston Marathon this century and she is returning to the event on Monday for the 10th time at the age of 39 after a battle with hyperthyroidism.
Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon winner, was the top American at the New York City half-marathon last month and hopes to make her third Olympic team next year.
Boston Marathon 2023
Over 250 dogs and humans honoured the memory of Spencer, the official dog of the Boston Marathon, on Sunday.
Spencer, who died at 13 from an inoperable cancer in February, was known for his Mile 3 vigil during the race. Penny, the offspring of one of his litter mates, also was honoured.
She died of cancer a week after Spencer.
What is the Boston Marathon record?
The current course record for men at the Boston Marathon is two hours three minutes and two seconds by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011.
The course record for women at the Boston Marathon is two hours 19 minutes and 59 seconds by Buzunesh Deba in 2014.
Why is the marathon Called the “Patriots’ Day Race” in Boston?
The Boston Marathon has taken place every year since 1897.
Initially, runners ran on or just after Patriots’ Day, a Massachusetts holiday that celebrates the battle on Lexington Green and Old North Bridge in Concord on April 19, 1775, marking the official beginning of the American Revolution.
In Boston, many people continue to call the marathon the "Patriots’ Day Race."
In 1969, Patriots’ Day started to be officially celebrated on the third Monday in April, and the marathon shifted to this day as well.
Because Patriots’ Day is an official Massachusetts State holiday, most state, county, municipal offices, and schools are closed - which helps alleviate some of the commuter traffic into Boston and enables more people to watch the race.
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