2013 Boston Marathon
The 2013 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 15, 2013. It was the 117th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the second of the World Marathon Majors series to be held in 2013. Just under 27,000 runners participated. Lelisa Desisa won the men's division with a time of 2:10:22. Rita Jeptoo won the women's division with a time of 2:26:25. More than $800,000 of prize money was awarded.[1]
The marathon was disrupted by two consecutive explosions on the sidewalk near the finish line, killing three and injuring at least 176 people.
Race description
After 26 seconds of silence to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the 2013 Boston Marathon got underway with 53 wheelchair competitors leaving Hopkinton at 9:17am EDT. At 9:30 am, 51 elite women left the starting line, followed by the elite men at 10am. The remaining competitors were released in three waves over the next 40 minutes.[2] In total, 24,662 competitors started the 2013 Boston Marathon.[2] The temperature at start time was in the upper 40 °F (4 °C) range and climbed to 54 °F (12 °C) at the finish.[2]
Twenty-three-year-old Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia beat out two other runners in a three-way sprint to the finish first in men's division.[2] It was his first win at Boston and just his second ever marathon.[2][1] Desisa took home $150,000 and an olive wreath crown. His time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 22 seconds was five seconds ahead of second place finisher, Kenya's Micah Kogo.[2] Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia was six seconds back in third place. American Jason Hartmann finished fourth for the second straight year.[2]
Halfway through the race, nine men, all from Kenya or Ethiopia, broke away from the main pack. With one mile to go, the lead group was down to three. At that point, Desisa made his move and pulled away from the other two. His lead widened as he sprinted to the finish line for the win.[2] He became the fourth Ethiopian man to win the race, and the 24th East African to win in the past 26 years.[2]
Rita Jeptoo of Kenya won the women's division with a time of 2 hours, 26 minutes and 25 seconds. It was her second win at Boston, the other coming in 2006, and her first major win since taking two years off to have a baby.[1][2] She finished 33 seconds ahead of Ethiopia's Meseret Hailu, who took second place.[2] Defending champion Sharon Cherop of Kenya took third, 36 seconds off the lead.[2] American Shalane Flanagan finished fourth.[1]
Jeptoo is the third consecutive Kenyan winner. East Africans have won 17 of the past 19 races of the women's side.[2]
Hiroyuki Yamamoto of Japan won the men's wheelchair race, beating out nine-time champion Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa by 39 seconds.[1] Tatyana McFadden of America won the women's wheelchair race.[1]
Results
Elite men
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Lelisa Desisa |  Ethiopia |
2:10:22 |
 |
Micah Kogo |  Kenya |
2:10:27 |
 |
Gebregziabher Gebremariam | Ethiopia |
2:10:28 |
| 4 | Jason Hartmann |  United States |
2:12:12 |
| 5 | Wesley Korir | Kenya |
2:12:30 |
| 6 | Markos Geneti | Ethiopia |
2:12:44 |
| 7 | Dickson Chumba | Kenya |
2:14:08 |
| 8 | Jeffrey Hunt |  Australia |
2:14:28 |
| 9 | Daniel Tapia | United States |
2:14:30 |
| 10 | Craig Leon | United States |
2:14:38 |
Elite women
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rita Jeptoo | Kenya |
2:26:25 |
|
Meseret Hailu | Ethiopia |
2:26:58 |
|
Sharon Cherop | Kenya |
2:27:01 |
| 4 | Shalane Flanagan | United States |
2:27:08 |
| 5 | Tirfi Tsegaye | Ethiopia |
2:28:09 |
| 6 | Kara Goucher | United States |
2:28:11 |
| 7 | Madai Perez |  Mexico |
2:28:59 |
| 8 | Diane Nukuri-Johnson |  Burundi |
2:29:54 |
| 9 | Ana Dulce Felix |  Portugal |
2:30:05 |
| 10 | Sabrina Mockenhaupt |  Germany |
2:30:09 |
Wheelchair men
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hiroyuki Yamamoto |  Japan |
1:25:33 |
|
Ernst F. Van Dyk |  South Africa |
1:27:12 |
|
Kota Hokinoue | Japan |
1:27:13 |
Wheelchair women
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Tatyana McFadden | United States |
1:45:25 |
|
Sandra Graf |  Switzerland |
1:46:54 |
|
Amanda M. McGrory | United States |
1:49:19 |
Bombings
At 2:50 pm EDT, a little over two hours after the winners had completed the race, two explosions occurred near the finish line.[3][4] At least 3 people were killed and more than 141 were injured. The dead included an 8-year-old boy. Among the injured, 17 were reported in critical condition.[5] Other suspicious packages were found across Boston and dismantled.[3] The race was halted after the explosions; runners east of Massachusetts Avenue were diverted into Boston Common, while those west of it were diverted to Kenmore Square.[3]
False Flag Attack Conspiracy
During a press conference intended to provide updates regarding the investigation into the bombing of the Boston Marathon, one reporter asked Massachusetts governor if the bombing was a "false flag" attack.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Mark Memmott (April 15, 2013). "Africans Win At Boston Marathon". NPR. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Lelisa Desisa, Rita Jeptoo win Boston Marathon". USA Today. Associated Press. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Explosions rock Boston Marathon, several injured". CNN. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ Golen, Jimmy (15 April 2013). "Two explosions at Boston marathon finish line". AP Newswire. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ "Deaths, injuries reported after Boston Marathon blasts". USA Today. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.