Track Superstar Hellen Obiri Defends in Boston
As CitiusMag wrote, Marathon Monday was a delight. Hellen Obiri successfully defended her Boston Marathon title, while Sisay Lemma found the redemption he was looking for to win the men’s race in the most unlikely way.
Focusing on the racing itself rather than hosting a glorified time trial, the event once again made the case for having more marathons without pacers. While all major European and Asian marathons concentrate on the clock, big city marathons in the US have consistently done away with pacers and tried to make their courses challenging and exciting for spectators.
The 2024 Boston Marathon certainly lived up to that goal, and as a result, there’s quite a bit to write about. Therefore, this article will only focus on the women’s race. You can find a link to the men’s race report at the bottom of the page.
Sisay Lemma (L) and Hellen Obiri (R) celebrate winning the 2024 Boston Marathon
Before the race, Hellen Obiri said that her biggest concern was missing her bottles at the aid stations. Not the fact that her Olympic selection was in question. Not the 15 women with faster marathon bests lining up against her. Such was her confidence that her greatest fear was not picking up her water bottle.
In her debut two years ago, Obiri made a move around halfway and eventually faded to sixth. After that race, she seemingly decided she would win all her future marathons by enforcing her track running ability on the distance and reducing the event to a sprint finish. That tactic is yet to fail her, and the 2024 Boston Marathon was no different.
A conservative start saw 21 women still in contention as the clock ticked past two hours. As they approached 35km, Obiri and Sharon Lokedi positioned themselves ominously at the front and hammered out the first sub-five minute mile of the race. The pack quickly thinned to four, but the two women weren’t satisfied. They clocked 4:41 for the following mile for the fastest mile split ever run in a women’s marathon, successfully separating themselves from the rest.
Sharon Lokedi (L) and Hellen Obiri (R) in the closing stages of the 2024 Boston Marathon
Obiri held her form, deploying her trademark kick to slip out of Lokedi’s reach over the closing stages. She crossed the line eight seconds clear of her compatriot, becoming the first woman to defend her Boston title since Catherine Ndreba in 2006. Edna Kiplagat finished third to complete a Kenyan sweep of the podium.
This performance showed that Obiri is going to be very difficult to beat over the hilly course at the Paris Olympics. Perhaps this is the year that one of history’s most decorated runners finally achieves the one title that has eluded her: an Olympic championship.
Speaking of the Olympics, Obiri publicly endorsed Lokedi’s selection after the race.
“The Paris course is a tough course,” she explained.
“It’s even tougher than Boston. If we have Sharon as my teammate in Paris, we will have a fantastic women’s race.”
Lokedi has a good case for selection. Although she has only run three marathons, they have all been podium finishes at World Marathon Majors, and Obiri is the only Kenyan to have ever beaten her over the distance.
That being said, Kenya’s ‘problem’ is that they have five women who would realistically be in the top 10 in Paris, and they have to leave two of them behind. Outside of Obiri and Lokedi, Peres Jepchirchir, Brigid Kosgei, and Ruth Chepngetich will be hoping to make the team. I won’t go into too much detail about those three here – they are all running the London Marathon this Sunday and you can read more about them in my preview for that race – but they are all just as deserving of those spots as Lokedi. Jepchirchir is the reigning Olympic champion, Kosgei is the former marathon world record holder, and Chepngetich is the former half marathon world record holder. For Lokedi, this weekend’s race through the English capital is perhaps as important as the one she just ran in Boston.
Finally, it’s worth touching on Kiplagat’s astonishing bronze medal. The 44-year-old recorded her best finish in the marathon since she won this race three years ago, proving that she still has no problem competing at the highest level. For reference, when Kiplagat won her first World Marathon Major title, Gebregziabher Gebremariam was the men’s champion in the same race. He is five years younger than her and retired in 2015. Of course, I don’t remember any of this because I was nine when it happened.
Father Time may be unbeaten, but Kiplagat is putting up one hell of a fight.
Edna Kiplagat crosses the line at the 2024 Boston Marathon
Top 10
Hellen Obiri (KEN) 2:22:37
Sharon Lokedi (KEN) 2:22:45
Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:23:21
Buze Diriba (ETH) 2:24:04
Senbere Teferi (ETH) 2:24:04
Mary Ngugi-Cooper (KEN) 2:24:24
Woknenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:24:47
Fatima Gardadi (MOR) 2:24:53
Tiruye Mesfin (ETH) 2:24:58
Dera Dida (ETH) 2:25:16
If you haven’t already, check out our report on the men’s race at the Boston Marathon.
You can access the full results from the 2024 Boston Marathon here.