Boston Marathon 2014: American Man Wins for First Time Since 1983
- Washington Post, April 21 at 12:20 pm
The scene on Boylston Street, where the Boston Marathon finishes, on Sunday. (Andrew Burton/Getty)
On Monday, a little more than a year after the Boston Marathon bombing, the runners are returning to Beacon Street, Chestnut Hill Avenue and, finally, Boylston Street.
Their ranks have swollen to nearly 36,000, more than the 27,000 who normally participate, to accommodate many of the 5,600 runners who were halted by the bombing.
And for the first time in more than three decades, an American won the Marathon: Meb Keflezighi finished in 2:08:37, which is the second-fastest time ever posted by an American man at the Marathon. The last American man to win the Boston Marathon was Greg A. Meyer in 1983.
Meb Keflezighi of the United States reacts after coming in first place . (Jared Wickerham/Getty)
Rita Jeptoo of Kenya set a course record with a time of 2:28:57, winning the women’s field for the third time (she also won in 2006 and 2013).
Earlier on Monday, Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa won the men’s wheelchair race, finishing in 1:20:36 claim his 10th title. Tatyana McFadden of the United States won her second consecutive women’s wheelchair race, putting up a record pace en route to a final time of 1:35:06.
Tatyana McFadden after winning the women’s wheelchair division. (Charles Krupa/AP)
The blasts last year killed three people and injured more than 260, leading to a massive investigation and a manhunt that eventually shut down the city. This year, the 118th marathon is being run with tighter security, as 3,500 uniformed police officers are monitoring the area.
Already, during the week of tributes and commemorations leading up to Marathon Monday, a man brought a bag with a rice cooker to the race’s finish line on the anniversary of the bombing, just hours after a tribute attended by first responders and survivors.
Boston Police tripled the number of officers this year. It's evident in Cleveland Circle
Although some had wondered whether the fear of another attack would keep people away, the city is bustling. A million people are expected to line the route, double the number from last year. Many gathered in the days before the race, laying flowers at the storefront where the bombs went off and leaving tributes to those who were killed.
Crowds assembled at the finish line well before 7 a.m., reports Wesley Lowery in Boston.
Buses and trains were packed as throngs headed to Marathon parties as well as bars, restaurants and the finish line.
“I grew up here, but I hadn’t been back for years,” said Michael Herlihy, 59, who stood just past the 26-mile marker on Bolyston. “This year, I had to come.”
The Finish Line
Competitors in the wheelchair division of the 118th Boston Marathon leave the finish line Monday, April 21, 2014 in Hopkinton, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)