No American man had won the Boston Marathon since 1983, & for the first time in recent memory, two men — Hall, from Mammoth Lakes, Calif., & his neighbor Meb Keflezighi — were vying for that chance.
BOSTON — Ryan Hall burst in front of the pack from the first mile, battling a brisk headwind & dragging the weight of history behind him.
In lieu, Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, a tiny known 21-year-old marathoner from Kenya with a familiar name, stole the spotlight from the national favorites. Cheruiyot shattered the Boston Marathon coursework record with a victory in 2 hours 5 minutes 52 seconds, finishing over a minute ahead of Tekeste Kebede of Ethiopia (2:07:23).
For the second straight year, Hall got caught up in the surges of his more experienced competitors on the hilly coursework. He completed in a gutsy fourth place — in 2:08:41 — two seconds short of passing Deriba Merga for third place (2:08:39), & his finishing kick earned a tiny consolation: Hall, who completed third last year, recorded the fastest American time on the coursework.
In a women’s race that did not become dramatic — & then thrilling — until the final three miles, Ethiopia’s Teyba Erkesso let a bold two-minute lead slip to six seconds by the final stretch ahead of Tatyana Pushkareva, 24, of Russia. Erkesso, grimacing & wavering, did not listen to the pounding feet behind her on Boylston Street. In lieu, he churned past the tape, winning in 2:26:11, three seconds ahead of Pushkareva.
Keflezighi, the reigning New York City Marathon champion, after an injury-riddled winter, completed behind him in fifth place, in 2:09:26.
For a while, it seemed that Hall, who loves walking on a fast pace, might make a run at that record.
Cheruiyot, no relation to Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, a four-time Boston champion also from Kenya, actually broke the latter Cheruiyot’s 2006 record of 2:07:14. On Monday, Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot made his move in the 22nd mile, passing Merga & seldom looking back. Entering the race, Cheruiyot’s personal best was a 2:06:23 on the flat Frankfurt coursework in 2008.
He led at the halfway mark (after recovering from being dropped in an early surge), but it did not last again.
Keflezighi stayed in the hunt longer — until the Newton Hills. Merga first pulled away at the Newton Firehouse & Cheruiyot stayed with him.
Not on Monday, though, as the runners encountered a 10-mile-an-hour headwind despite otherwise perfect conditions on a crisp, sunny Patriots’ Day morning.
Hall spent three weeks in Boston before the race familiarizing himself with the nuances of the coursework. He ran with headwinds & crosswinds, & once even caught the phantom tailwind that the four-time Boston champion Bill Rodgers assured Hall did blow on the coursework.
“If you win the New York, you are the target,” Keflezighi said before the race. “At the same time, less pressure for me because I got my giant win.”
The weather was e fine for Keflezighi, better than his own physical state. He had battled a left knee injury that curtailed his training for the entire month of February & he knew he did not have time to prepare. He would leave the glory for others on Monday.
Pushkareva, 24, began reeling in Erkesso in the final three miles. Erkesso grabbed her side after a water stop & grimaced in obvious discomfort.
The men’s & women’s races each had first-time winners. Erkesso, of Ethiopia, who won the Houston Marathon in January, broke away from the pack in the 16th mile in Newton. For the next 11 miles he ran alone, a startling sight as well as a grueling haul for any runner — & it took a toll on her.
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