Kenya’s Hellen Obiri has won the Boston Marathon for the second time in a row after her debut last year, making her the first woman since 2005 to repeat win. 34-year-old Obiri, who also won last year’s New York Marathon, crossed the line in 2:22:37 on Monday 15 April.
After keeping stride with a larger pack for the first half of the historic race, Obiri broke away in the second half before battling it out with Sharon Lodeki over the final three miles. Obiri took the win for the second year running as Kenya dominated the women’s podium via Lodeki, who finished just eight seconds later, and Edna Kiplagat in third place with a 2:23:21 time.
This second win from Obiri marks the first time since 2005 when a woman has won twice in a row. Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba was the last women’s repeat champion after taking the win four times in five years.
UK athlete Eden Rainbow-Cooper took the women’s wheelchair win with a time of 1:35:11, marking her first major race win.
