Sisay Lemma and Hellen Obiri Just Won the Boston Marathon

Updated April 15, 2024 12:46PM

Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia almost did the unthinkable at the Boston Marathon on Monday morning, while American Emma Bates sure tried to.

The 33-year-old Sisay not only ran away from a very strong field to win, but he briefly teased spectators and fans with an unfathomably fast pace. Lemma, who entered the race as the fourth-fastest marathoner in history (2:01:48), came through the halfway point in 1:00:19, which meant he was on sub-2:01 pace and ahead of world-record pace. Although he slowed considerably over the second half of the race, Lemma held on to win in 2:06:17, the 10th fastest time in Boston Marathon history.

Bates, the top U.S. runner in the very deep women’s field who had been fifth in the race a year ago, surged numerous times throughout the race and was still in the lead near mile 20. But Bates and several other runners in the women’s lead pack fell off the pace when the race turned into an exceptionally fast three-way tussle between Kenyans Sharon Lokedi, Hellen Obiri, and Edna Kiplagat.

After Obiri, the race’s defending champion, and Lokedi, the 2022 New York City champion, were able to shake 43-year-old Kiplagat with an exhilarating 15:05 5K split late in the race, Obiri and Lokedi continued to battle over the final two miles, with Obiri successfully defending her title in 2:22:37, eight seconds ahead of Lokedi. Kiplagat, finished third in 2:23:21, while Bates, who wound up as the top American in the women’s race in 12th place (2:27:14).

In the men’s race, Lemma outran compatriot Mohamed Esa (2:06:58) and two-time defending champion Evans Chebet (2:07:22), who valiantly tried to chase down the breakaway leader to no avail. Although he was ahead of record pace early, Lemma didn’t come close to the Boston Marathon course record of 2:03:02 (set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011), but he made amends for a disappointing race in Boston in 2022, when he ran with the leaders through the first 16 miles but fell off the pace and eventually dropped out of the race.

“Because there were no pacemakers, I decided I wanted to run fast early” Lemma said through an interpreter at the finish line. “The course was very up and down the whole way. But I was able to hold the pace and they couldn’t catch me.”

Lemma and Obiri each won $150,000 for their victories and likely secured a spot on their country’s Olympic teams for the Paris Olympics this summer.

CJ Albertson was the top American in the men’s race, finishing seventh in 2:09:53, followed by Elkanah Kibet in 14th in 2:12:32—just 72 days after both had run in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Orlando.

Lemma Bursts Ahead of the Men’s Pack

The weather conditions were ideal at the start of the men’s race at 9:37 A.M.—clear and calm, 56 degrees, blue skies and sunshine. A large pack of men started off at a moderate pace through the 5K (14:21), before Lemma burst ahead to a huge, 25-second lead by the 10K (28:28).

From there, the eight runners in the chase pack, including two-time defending champion Evans Chebet, seemed content to let Lemma go. And go he did. By the tie he reached the 15K mark (42:43), he had expanded his lead to 81 seconds and was so far ahead, the chase pack was no longer visible on TV broadcasts. The chase pack began working as Chebet seemed to push the pace knowing that Lemma might be getting away, but he kept increasing his lead

Lemma continued to surge and was a minute ahead of course-record pace at halfway mark (1:00:19) and more than 90 seconds ahead of the men’s pack. The men’s pack came through nearly two minutes later at 1:02:08, and that’s when Chebet and fellow Kenyans Albert Korir, John Korir and Cybrian Kotut, along with Ethiopia’s Haftu Teklu and Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi started to push the pace in an attempt to chase down Lemma. Kibet was the top U.S. runner at that point, running in the secondary pack as he came through the halfway mark in 1:03:15.

Lemma began to slow down on the Newton Hills, but he maintained his two-and-a-half-minute lead even as Kibet had started to pull away from the rest of the men’s pack in hot pursuit. Talbi, a runner coming off a second-place finish at the NYC Half Marathon on March 17, took over the chase pack in the middle of the Newton Hills, fueling the hope that they might catch Lemma.

By the time Lemma came through the 20-mile mark at 1:33:48, his lead was 2:45 ahead of the pack. Lemma was still in control as he went over Heartbreak Hill near mile 21, but he didn’t look nearly as good during the ensuing descent as his leg turnover was slowing as his lead was quickly cut by 30 seconds by the fast-moving chase group. Chebet and John Korir managed to cut Lemma’s lead to about 90 seconds over the next 3 miles, but they ran out of real estate as Lemma ran strong enough to seal the victory.

Bates Pushes the Pace in the Women’s Race

In the women’s race, a massive pack of 21 runners stuck together as they ran through the initial 5K in a conservative 16:36 split. But after that Bates went off the front and took a 10-meter lead for a stretch, only to be absorbed back into the lead pack as it came through the 10K in 33:27. But Bates moved to the lead again, only to be pulled back into the pack a few miles down the road at the 15K (9-mile) mark as they came through in 50:58, still on 2:20 pace.

The women’s lead pack was still 20 runners strong as it came through the Wellesley College “scream tunnel” near mile 12.5—including Bates and fellow American Sara Hall, Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh, and Kenyans Kenyan Hellen Obiri, Mary gugi, Edna Kiplagat, and Sharon Lokedi. After slapping high-fives with dozens of spectators, Bates surged to the lead again and took the group through the halfway mark in 1:12:33.

American Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion who was running the race for the 11th time, had been behind the lead pack from the start, but suddenly caught up to the conservative pace of the lead group and briefly took the lead near mile 15. Her showing among the leaders was brief, but even after she lost contact the women’s lead 19-runner lead pack remained pretty bunched up through the Newton Hills.

Bates made another big move near the 30K mark (18.6 miles) as she briefly opened up a 3-second lead on the pack with a 1:43:27 split. But the women’s pack was still a dozen deep after going over Heartbreak Hill, setting up the breakaway surge from Kiplagat, Obiri, and Lokedi over the blazing final miles.

Switzerland’s Hug, UK’s Rainbow Cooper Win Wheelchair Races

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race for a seventh time in a course record 1:15:33—despite taking a tumble late in the race. He said the crash was the result of putting too much pressure into a turn, but he was able to pop up and recover almost immediately.

“I love Boston, I love the crowd,” Hug said. “It’s a great course, a fast course. The crowd here is just amazing.

British athlete Eden Rainbow Cooper (1:35:11) outlasted Manuela Schar (1:36:11) in the women’s wheelchair race, winning her first World Marathon Majors race.

“It was such a mentally tough challenge,” Cooper said. “I started two years ago and gave it absolutely everything, and I can’t believe it.”

2024 Boston Marathon Results

Men’s Results

1. Sisay Lemma, Ethiopia, 2:06:17
2. Mohamed Esa, Ethiopia, 2:06:58
3. Evans Chebet, Kenya, 2:07:22
4. John Korir, Kenya, 2:07:40
5. Albert Korir, Kenya, 2:07:47
6. Isaac Mpofu, Zimbabwe, 2:08:17
7. CJ Albertson, U.S. 2:09:53
8. Yuma Morii, Japan, 2:09:59
9. Cybrian Kotut, Kenya, 2:10:29
10. Zouhair Talbi, Morocco, 2:10:45

14. Elkanah Kibet, U.S., 2:12:32
15. Ryan Eller, U.S., 2;15:22
18. Patrick Smyth, U.S., 2:15:45

Women’s Results

1. Hellen Obiri, Kenya, 2:22:37
2. Sharon Lokedi, Kenya, 2:22:45
3. Edna Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:23:21
4. Buze Diribi, Ethiopia, 2:24:04
5. Senbere Teferi, Ethiopia, 2:24:04
6. Mary Ngugi, Kenya, 2:24:24
7. Workenesh Edesa, Ethiopia, 2:24:47
8. Fatima Gardadi, Morocco, 2:24:53
9. Tiruye Mesfin, Ethiopia, 2:24:58
10. Dera Dida, Ethiopia, 2:25:16

12. Emma Bates, U.S., 2:27:14
14. Sara Hall, U.S., 2:27:58
15. Des Linden, U.S., 2:28:27