Running - The Boston Marathon
With the initial marathon held on Patriot's Day in 1897 the Boston Marathon is seeped in tradition. It is always held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April.through areas surrounding NBoston, Massachusettses. Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world's best-known road racing events. It is one of six World Marathon Majors. |
The Boston Marathon - History
The first Boston Marathon was run on Patriot's Day, April 19, 1897, a little more than a year after that first Olympic marathon in Athens. The course, from Metcalfe's Mill in Asthland, Massachusetts, to the Irvington Street Oval in Boston, measured 24.5 miles. After the International Olympic Committee adopted 26 miles, 385 yards as the official Olympic marathon distance, the Boston course was changed to this distance in 1924. The course has been modified over the years to accomadate sponsor changes and corrections in length.
From 1897-1968, the Boston Marathon was held on Patriots' Day, April 19, a holiday commemorating the start of the Revolutionary War and recognized only in Massachusetts and Maine. The lone exception was when the 19th fell on Sunday. In those years, the race was held the following day (Monday the 20th). In 1969, the holiday was officially moved to the third Monday in April and all races since then have been run on a Monday.
The Boston Athletic Association didn't formally allow women to enter the Boston Marathon until 1972, Prior to that some women had snuck into the race to participate.
The Boston Marathon - Male Winners
Year |
Winner |
Country |
Time |
1897 | John J. McDermott | New York | 2:55:10 |
1898 | Ronald J. MacDonald | Canada | 2:42:00 |
1899 | Lawrence Brignolia | Massachusetts | 2:54:38 |
1900 | John Caffery | Canada | 2:39:44 |
1901 | John Caffery | Canada | 2:29:23 |
1902 | Sammy Mellor | New York | 2:43:12 |
1903 | John Lorden | Massachusetts | 2:41:29 |
1904 | Michael Spring | New York | 2:38:04 |
1905 | Frederick Lorz | New York | 2:38:25 |
1906 | Tim Ford | Massachusetts | 2:45:45 |
1907 | Thomas Longboat | Canada | 2:24:24 |
1908 | Thomas Morrissey | New York | 2:25:43 |
1909 | Henri Renaud | New Hampshire | 2:53:36 |
1910 | Fred Cameron | Canada | 2:28:52 |
1911 | Clarence DeMar | Massachusetts | 2:21:39 |
1912 | Michael Ryan | New York | 2:21:18 |
1913 | Fritz Carlson | Minnesota | 2:25:14 |
1914 | James Duffy | Canada | 2:25:01 |
1915 | Edouard Fabre | Canada | 2:31:41 |
1916 | Arthur Roth | Massachusetts | 2:27:16 |
1917 | Bill Kennedy | New York | 2:28:37 |
1918 | Military Relay | Camp Devens | 2:29:53 |
1919 | Carl Linder | Massachusetts | 2:29:13 |
1920 | Peter Trivoulides | New York | 2:29:31 |
1921 | Frank Zuna | New York | 2:18:57 |
1922 | Clarence DeMar | Massachusetts | 2:18:10 |
1923 | Clarence DeMar | Massachusetts | 2:23:47 |
1924 | Clarence DeMar | Massachusetts | 2:29:40 |
1925 | Charles Mellor | Illinois | 2:33:00 |
1926 | John C. Miles | Canada | 2:25:40 |
1927 | Clarence DeMar | Massachusetts | 2:40:22 |
1928 | Clarence DeMar | Massachusetts | 2:37:07 |
1929 | John C. Miles | Canada | 2:33:08 |
1930 | Clarence DeMar | Massachusetts | 2:34:48 |
1931 | James P. Henigan | Massachusetts | 2:46:45 |
1932 | Paul DeBruyn | Germany | 2:33:36 |
1933 | Leslie S. Pawson | Rhode Island | 2:31:01 |
1934 | Dave Komonen | Canada | 2:32:53 |
1935 | John A. Kelley | Massachusetts | 2:32:07 |
1936 | Ellison M. Brown | Rhode Island | 2:33:40 |
1937 | Walter Young | Canada | 2:33:20 |
1938 | Leslie S. Pawson | Rhode Island | 2:35:34 |
1939 | Ellison M. Brown | Rhode Island | 2:28:51 |
1940 | Gerard Cote | Canada | 2:28:28 |
1941 | Leslie S. Pawson | Rhode Island | 2:30:38 |
1942 | Joe Smith | Massachusetts | 2:26:51 |
1943 | Gerard Cote | Canada | 2:28:25 |
1944 | Gerard Cote | Canada | 2:31:50 |
1945 | John A. Kelley | Massachusetts | 2:30:40 |
1946 | Stylianos Kyriakides | Greece | 2:29:27 |
1947 | Yun Bok Suh | Korea | 2:25:39 |
1948 | Gerard Cote | Canada | 2:31:02 |
1949 | Karl Leandersson | Sweden | 2:31:50 |
1950 | Kee Yong Ham | Korea | 2:32:39 |
1951 | Shigeki Tanaka | Japan | 2:27:45 |
1952 | Doroteo Flores | Guatamela | 2:31:53 |
1953 | Keizo Yamada | Japan | 2:18:51 |
1954 | Veikko Karvonen | Finland | 2:20:39 |
1955 | Hideo Hamamura | Japan | 2:18:22 |
1956 | Antti Viskari | Finland | 2:14:14 |
1957 | John J. Kelley | Connecticut | 2:20:05 |
1958 | Franjo Mihalic | Yugoslavia | 2:25:54 |
1959 | Eino Oksanen | Finland | 2:22:42 |
1960 | Paavo Kotila | Finland | 2:20:54 |
1961 | Eino Oksanen | Finland | 2:23:39 |
1962 | Eino Oksanen | Finland | 2:23:48 |
1963 | Aurele Vandendriessche | Belgium | 2:18:58 |
1964 | Aurele Vandendriessche | Belgium | 2:19:59 |
1965 | Morio Shigematsu | Japan | 2:16:33 |
1966 | Kenji Kemihara | Japan | 2:17:11 |
1967 | David McKenzie | New Zealand | 2:15:45 |
1968 | Amby Burfoot | Connecticut | 2:22:17 |
1969 | Yoshiaki Unetani | Japan | 2:13:49 |
1970 | Ron Hill | Great Britain | 2:10:30 |
1971 | Alvaro Mejia | Colombia | 2:18:45 |
1972 | Olavi Suomalainen | Finland | 2:15:39 |
1973 | Jon Anderson | Oregon | 2:16:03 |
1974 | Neil Cusack | Ireland | 2:13:39 |
1975 | Bill Rodgers | Massachusetts | 2:09:55 |
1976 | Jack Fultz | Virginia | 2:20:19 |
1977 | Jerome Drayton | Canada | 2:14:46 |
1978 | Bill Rodgers | Massachusetts | 2:10:13 |
1979 | Bill Rodgers | Massachusetts | 2:09:27 |
1980 | Bill Rodgers | Massachusetts | 2:12:11 |
1981 | Toshihiko Seko | Japan | 2:09:26 |
1982 | Alberto Salazar | Massachusetts | 2:08:52 |
1983 | Greg Meyer | Massachusetts | 2:09:00 |
1984 | Geoff Smith | Great Britain | 2:10:34 |
1985 | Geoff Smith | Great Britain | 2:14:05 |
1986 | Robert de Castella | Australia | 2:07:51 |
1987 | Toshihiko Seko | Japan | 2:11:50 |
1988 | Ibrahim Hussein | Kenya | 2:08:43 |
1989 | Abebe Mekonnen | Ethiopia | 2:09:06 |
1990 | Gelindo Bordin | Italy | 2:08:19 |
1991 | Ibrahim Hussein | Kenya | 2:11:06 |
1992 | Ibrahim Hussein | Kenya | 2:08:14 |
1993 | Cosmas Ndeti | Kenya | 2:09:33 |
1994 | Cosmas Ndeti | Kenya | 2:07:15 |
1995 | Cosmas Ndeti | Kenya | 2:09:22 |
1996 | Moses Tanui | Kenya | 2:09:15 |
1997 | Lameck Aguta | Kenya | 2:10:34 |
1998 | Moses Tanui | Kenya | 2:07:34 |
1999 | Joseph Chebet | Kenya | 2:09:52 |
2000 | Elijah Lagat | Kenya | 2:09:47 |
2001 | Lee Bong-Ju | Korea | 2:09:43 |
2002 | Rodgers Rop | Kenya | 2:09:02 |
2003 | Robert Cheruiyot | Kenya | 2:10:11 |
2004 | Timothy Cherigat | Kenya | 2:10:37 |
2005 | Hailu Negussie | Ethiopia | 2:11:45 |
2006 | Robert Cheruiyot | Kenya | 2:07:14 |
2007 | Robert Cheruiyot | Kenya | 2:14:13 |
2008 | Robert Cheruiyot | Kenya | 2:07:46 |
2009 | Deriba Merga | Ethiopia | 2:08:42 |
2010 | Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot | Kenya | 2:05:52 |
2011 | Geoffrey Mutai | Kenya | 2:03:02 |
2012 | Wesley Korir | Kenya | 2:12:40 |
2013 | Lelisa Desisa Benti | Ethiopia | 2:10:22 |
2014 | Meb Keflezighi | United States | 2:08:37 |
2015 | Lelisa Desisa | Ethiopia | 2:09:17 |
2016 | Lemi Berhanu Hayle | Ethiopia | 2:12:45 |
2017 | Geoffrey Kirui | Kenya | 2:09:37 |
2018 | Yuki Kawauchi | Japan | 2:15:58 |
2019 | Lawrence Cherono | Kenya | 2:07:57 |
2020 | Cancelled Pandemic |
The Boston Marathon - Female Winners
Year |
Winner |
Country |
Time |
1972 | Nina Kuscsik | New York | 3:10:26 |
1973 | Jacqueline Hansen | California | 3:05:59 |
1974 | Michiko Gorman | California | 2:47:11 |
1975 | Liane Winter | West Germany | 2:42:24 |
1976 | Kim Merritt | Wisconsin | 2:47:10 |
1977 | Michiko Gorman | California | 2:48:33 |
1978 | Gayle S. Barron | Georgia | 2:44:52 |
1979 | Joan Benoit | Maine | 2:35:15 |
1980 | Jacqueline Gareau | Canada | 2:34:28 |
1981 | Allison Roe | New Zealand | 2:26:46 |
1982 | Charlotte Teske | West Germany | 2:29:33 |
1983 | Joan Benoit | Massachusetts | 2:22:43 |
1984 | Lorraine Moller | New Zealand | 2:29.28 |
1985 | Lisa Larsen Weidenbach | Michigan | 2:34.06 |
1986 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | 2:24:55 |
1987 | Rosa Mota | Portugal | 2:25:21 |
1988 | Rosa Mota | Portugal | 2:24:30 |
1989 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | 2:24:33 |
1990 | Rosa Mota | Portugal | 2:25:24 |
1991 | Wanda Panfil | Poland | 2:24:18 |
1992 | Olga Markova | CIS | 2:23:43 |
1993 | Olga Markova | CIS | 2:25:27 |
1994 | Uta Pippig | Germany | 2:21:45 |
1995 | Uta Pippig | Germany | 2:25:11 |
1996 | Uta Pippig | Germany | 2:27:12 |
1997 | Fatuma Roba | Ethiopia | 2:26:23 |
1998 | Fatuma Roba | Ethiopia | 2:23:21 |
1999 | Fatuma Roba | Ethiopia | 2:23:25 |
2000 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya | 2:26:11 |
2001 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya | 2:23:53 |
2002 | Margaret Okayo | Kenya | 2:20:43 |
2003 | Svetlana Zakharova | Russia | 2:25:20 |
2004 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya | 2:24:27 |
2005 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya | 2:25:13 |
2006 | Rita Jeptoo | Kenya | 2:23:38 |
2007 | Lidiya Grigoryeva | Russia | 2:29:18 |
2008 | Dire Tune | Ethiopia | 2:25:25 |
2009 | Salina Kosgei | Kenya | 2:32:16 |
2010 | Teyba Erkesso | Ethiopia | 2:26:11 |
2011 | Caroline Kilel | Kenya | 2:22:36 |
2012 | Sharon Cherop | Kenya | 2:31:50 |
2013 | Rita Jeptoo | Kenya | 2:26:25 |
2014 | Buzunesh Deba | Ethiopia | 2:19:59 |
2015 | Caroline Rotich | Kenya | 2:24:55 |
2016 | Atsede Baysa | Ethiopia | 2:29:19 |
2017 | Edna Kiplagat | Kenya | 2:21:52 |
2018 | Desiree Linden | United States | 2:39:54 |
2019 | Worknesh Degefa | Ethiopia | 2:23:31 |
2020 | Cancelled Pandemic |