2023 Boston Marathon Recap
It’s 8:37 a.m. on Monday morning. Not just any Monday morning…Patriots Day morning. This means that over 40,000 people stampede from Hopkinton, MA, all the way to Boston in the world’s oldest and greatest road race, the one hundred twenty-seventh Boston Marathon. This year, however, was different. There was a buzz in the air. The greatest marathon runner in history, Eliud Kipchoge, was in town looking to add a sixteenth major marathon victory to his legacy.
However, Kipchoge was only one of the forty members of the most stacked elite field Boston has ever assembled. This includes the likes of Evans Chebet, the 2022 defending champion, and Benson Kipruto, the 2021 Boston Marathon champion and 2022 New York City Marathon champion.
In similar fashion, the elite women’s race, which took off twenty minutes following the elite men, was also loaded. With no clear favorite, there was much anticipation of the battle between 2022 marathon world champion Gotytom Gebreslase, 5000m world champion Hellen Obiri, and London Marathon runner-up Sara Hall.
However, once the elites took the final left turn onto Boylston St., past resumes were not enough to protect the greats. While the defending champion Evans Chebet emerged first, followed in hot pursuit by Benson Kipruto and Tanzania’s Gabriel Geay, it was the absence of Kipchoge that washed over the spectators, who faded all the way back to sixth after taking the brunt of the wind all the way until mile 18. The defending champion took the victory in 2:05:54. Two minutes later, Scott Fauble, for the third time in his career, finished right behind Kipchoge in seventh place, with top American honors in 2:09:44.
Roughly forty minutes later, with a kilometer to go, Obiri surged up the final hill, leaving Ethiopian Amane Beriso and Israel’s Lonah Salpeter in the dust, and as they turned onto Boylston, nothing changed. Obiri, in only her second marathon ever, upset the most competitive field ever, assembled in 2:21:38. Less than a minute later, Emma Bates, who led the race all the way until mile 23, crossed as top American in fifth place in 2:22:10.
Roughly forty minutes later, with a kilometer to go, Obiri surged up the final hill, leaving Ethiopian Amane Beriso and Israel’s Lonah Salpeter in the dust, and as they turned onto Boylston, nothing changed. Obiri, in only her second marathon ever, upset the most competitive field ever, assembled in 2:21:38. Less than a minute later, Emma Bates, who led the race all the way until mile 23, crossed as top American in fifth place in 2:22:10.
While both the men and women had the most competitive fields in the history of the event, experience was not enough to save the greats, such as Kipchoge and Gebreslase. It is rare that an athlete such as Chebet, who repeats as back-to-back champion, is still considered an underdog in an upset victory. However, less than twenty-four hours after the race, Kipchoge, who could easily retire to protect his status as the greatest ever, states he will be coming back to add another major marathon title to his name. Hellen Obiri, who will likely be taking her talents toward a new major marathon, is expected to contest a 2023 fall major marathon. The Abbott World Marathon Majors will continue this upcoming Sunday, for the 2023 TCS London Marathon.