BOSTON — Hellen Obiri defended her women’s title in the Boston Marathon on Monday, outsprinting fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi down Boylston Street to win by 8 seconds.
Obiri, 34, is the first woman to win back-to-back Boston Marathons since 2005.
On a day when sunshine and temperatures rising into the mid-60s left the runners reaching for water — to drink, and to dump over their heads — Obiri ran with an unusually large lead pack of 15 through Brookline before breaking away in the final few miles.
“I’m not giving up,” Obiri said she told herself. “I’m not going to let this one go.”
Obiri also won New York last year, and is one of the favorites heading into the Paris Olympics.
Emma Bates of Boulder, Colorado, finished 12th — her second straight year as the top American.
Nearly 30,000 runners participated in the 26.2-mile race. Sunny skies and minimal wind greeted the runners, with temperatures that rose into the 60s in late morning.
