BOSTON (AP) – A rider disguised as Paul Revere released his horse to the finish line of the Boston marathon and proclaimed: “The runners arrive.”
And on Boylston Street, they came.
In record time. With a historic family first. And even “The Star-Spangled Banner” obtained some time for the race and that the region commemorated the 250th anniversary of the first shots drawn in the American revolution.
Sharon Lokedi of Kenya broke the Boston Marathon lesson record over 2,100 minutes on Monday, exceeded the double reigning champion Hellen Obiri a year after losing against her in one of the finishes closest to the history of the race.
AP Audio: “ runners come ”: Lokedi broke the Boston marathon lesson record, John Korir takes the male race
A record finish and a brother brothers first titled the day during the 129th series of the oldest annual marathon in the world. The correspondent Gethin Coolbaugh reports.
Fellow Kenyan John Korir recovered from A starting line fallsTo join his brother as a racing champion – The first relatives to win the oldest and most prestigious annual marathon in the world in a story that dates from 1897.
A day that also marked the 50th anniversary of the Bob Hall pioneer race,, Marcel Hug in Switzerland won his eighth victory And Susannah Scaroni of the United States won the female title.
“I always feel emotional when the national anthem is played,” said Scaroni, who won in 2023 but could not defend his title last year due to an injury. “And ours played on this incredible and historical birthday gives me goosebumps.”
Lokedi finished in 2 hours, 17 minutes, 22 seconds to claim the first prize of $ 150,000 and another bonus of $ 50,000 for having broken the record of the course of 2:19:59 established by Buzunesh Deba in 2014. A year after having sprint in a victory of 8 seconds since Fattuma Roba in 1999.
“Where she exceeded me last year, I exceeded her this year,” said Lokedi, laughing. “I didn’t even believe. I kept looking back and thinking: “Where is she?” I am so grateful to him for pushing me throughout. »»
Six months after winning on the chicago flattest course, Korir finished in 2:04:45 – The second fastest victory time in the history of Boston while the runners took advantage of the time of perfect marathon to conquer the 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) from Hopkinton to Copley Square from Boston.
And he did it despite his tripping from behind near the start and the fall. He got up to reach the lead pack at the back.
“What came to my mind, should I stay down, or should I (go up) and go?” He said. “Something told me to (go up) and leave, and that everything will be fine. … and everything is gone.”
The Korir race bib fell and he slipped it into his tights, removing him while he was sprouting on the finish line. While waiting to congratulate him: Wesley Koir, winner of Boston, 2012, his older brother.
Although the race was won by a pair of independent John Kelleys and two different Robert Cheruiyots, the Korirs are the first brothers to have won.
“He explained to be hard and believe in you,” said John Korir, who finished fourth and ninth of his two previous Boston attempts. “So I believed in me and followed his advice.”
Conner Mantz de provo, Utah, finished fourth after losing a three -sided sprint on arrival with Alphonce Felix Simbu from Tanzania, who finished second, and Cybrien Kotut from Kenya, who was third.
Yalemzerf Yehualaw, Ethiopia, finished third in the women’s race. Jess McClain de Phoenix was the best American in seventh place; 2018 Linden winner, who had announced that she would retire from a competitive racewon the masters’ division and finished 17th in the general classification.
When she crossed the finish line, the other American women bowed in front of her in tribute.
“I had these people in front of me who opened the way, and I looked at them. And they always made me feel that I belonged, made me feel that my dreams were valid, helped me along the way,” said Linden. “So I always tried to do this for the people of this sport.”
A 30,000 field left Hopkinton on Monday morning for Back Bay de Boston, where horsemen in the revolutionary war – accompanied by a fifre and drum playing “Yankee Doodle” – went around Boylston Street in a reconstruction of Paul Revere’s walk.
The ceremony stopped temporary when the horses were frightened by the sticker of the finish line on the street and stopped. The actor depicting the colonial stomach and the patriot had to descend and walk the last steps himself while the little crowd of the little crowd laughed and applauded.
After reading a proclamation, Revere slowly pulled the horse the rest before going to more commemorating ceremonies The midnight journey On April 19, 1775, which warned the sounds of liberty that the British were underway.
Linden, the last American runner to win Boston, read the voiceover that introduced the reconstruction.
“I wondered:” Are these professional horses? ” Because it seemed a lot to him, ”she said later. “It turns out that it was.”
Hug had no trouble finishing the courseZoom on Copley Square in 1:21:34 for his eighth Boston wheelchair title. He beat the Daniel Romanchuk double winner by more than four minutes.
Scaroni ended in 1:35:20 A day when the Boston Athletic Association celebrated the loss of hall to add a wheelchair division in 1975.
“I am only here today because so many incredible people had integrity, tenacity-they knew they belonged as anhletes and they allowed us to have what we have today,” she said. “And I’m so much more grateful.
“I am not courageous like them,” said Scaroni. “I’m only there because of the way these people are great.”
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The writer Associated Press Jennifer McDermott in Hopkinton, Mass., Contributed to this story.
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