Kenyan Benson Kipruto won the Boston Marathon. The winner of the spring marathon for elite runners in Prague ran the traditional race at 2:09:51 and won the trophy for the first time at one of the world’s largest marathons. Diana Kipyogei (2:24:45) among women finished the Kenyan triumph in the race, which was in its 125th year due to the coronavirus pandemic for 30 months.

Benson Kipruto from Kenya after the victory in Boston.

Brian Snyder, Reuters

The hero of the first half of the race was the American CJ Albertson, who on the day of his 28th birthday started unusually fast and led by one minute after five kilometers. His lead over the main favorites by the middle of the race increased to two minutes and a quarter, but in the hills around the 32nd kilometer the Africans overtook him. Albertson eventually finished tenth with an almost two-minute loss to the victorious Kiprut.

Thirty-year-old Kipruto attacked after the 35th kilometer and was 46 seconds ahead of Ethiopian Lemi Berhanu, who triumphed in Boston five years ago. After the tenth place in Boston the year before last, Kipruto finally rejoiced in the success of his life on this track. In addition to this year’s Prague, they only won the Toronto Marathon in 2018.

In the women’s category, Kenyans took the first four places. The fastest was Kipyogei, who beat the 2017 winner Edna Kiplagat by 24 seconds, the almost forty-two-year-old world champion of 2011 and 2013. The 27-year-old Kipyogei added an even more valuable success to her last win in Istanbul.

The world’s oldest marathon last took place before today’s race on April 15, 2019. Last year, it moved from the traditional Patriot Day to the autumn term, but even so, it will not be achieved due to the spread of covid-19. The organizers moved him from the spring term this year as well, and in the end this strategy paid off for them.

However, the capacity was limited to 20,000 instead of the usual 30,000 participants, they started in waves and all runners had to be vaccinated against coronavirus or have a negative test.