Boston Marathon 2024 Results: Men and Women's Top Finishers on Patriots' Day
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IVApril 15, 2024
Hellen Obiri successfully defended her Boston Marathon title, out-running Sharon Lokedi in the women's race on Monday, while Sisay Lemma delivered a dominant performance en route to victory in the men's event.
Lokedi was eight seconds behind Obiri, who posted a time of 2:22:37, when she crossed the finish line. Edna Kiplagat, a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon, was a distant third.
Top Women's Finishers
- Hellen Obiri, 2:22:37
- Sharon Lokedi, 2:22:45
- Edna Kiplagat, 2:23:21
- Buze Diriba, 2:24:04
- Senbere Teferi, 2:24:04
There was little drama in the men's race as Lemma blew past the competition. His final time of 2:06:17 was 41 seconds better than the next closest runner.
Men's Top Finishers
- Sisay Lemma, 2:06:17
- Mohamed Esa, 2:06:58
- Evans Chebet, 2:07:22
- John Korir, 2:07:40
- Albert Korir, 2:07:47
Whereas some distance runners prefer to ease themselves into a marathon and conserve their energy, Lemma decided to set the tone early on. His fastest speed (13:21) was clocked at the 10-kilometer split. Contrast that to the back half of the race, where only two of his final eight splits were measured at more than 12 mph.
Despite slowing down the longer he went on, the 33-year-old maintained a comfortable lead.
Jonathan Levitt @JWLevittAbsolutely nobody in sight of the leader at 24.2. 1:54 in. <br><br>He could almost walk it in and win. <br><br>Sisay Lemma <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BostonMarathon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BostonMarathon</a> <a href="https://t.co/JegTz0iQ5u">pic.twitter.com/JegTz0iQ5u</a>
"I decided that I wanted to start fast early," he said of his strategy. "I kept the pace and I won."
Evans Chebet was the reigning two-time champion coming and had the third-fastest time in Boston Marathon history during his 2023 triumph. While he made up some ground during the final five miles, Chebet was unable to cancel out the sizable advantage Lemma built for himself.
The women's race was much more tightly contested.
With 25.2 miles in the books, Lokedi and Obiri were still running neck and neck. Obiri dug down deep in the last mile to get ahead of Lokedi, her speed (12:61 mph) a shade higher (12.27 mph) than that of her compatriot during the split.
For both runners, the Boston Marathon was a great showcase ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Jonathan Gault @jgault13After winning Boston, Hellen Obiri made the case for Athletics Kenya to name her and runner-up Sharon Lokedi to Olympic team: "The Paris course is a tough course. It's even tougher than Boston. If we have Sharon as my teammate in Paris, we will have a fantastic women's race." <a href="https://t.co/zKENRftBZx">pic.twitter.com/zKENRftBZx</a>
A two-time silver medalist in the 5,000 meters, this could be the year Obiri gets her first taste of Olympic gold.