The 2021 Boston Marathon was the 125th official running of the annual
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
race held in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, and 123rd time it was run on course (excluding the virtual event of 2020, and the
ekiden
is a long-distance running multi-stage relay race, mostly held on Road running, roads.Otake, Tomoko. ''One for All.'' Dec. 28, 200The Japan Times accessed Feb. 19, 2009.
The original Japanese term had nothing to do with a sport or a competiti ...
of 1918). It took place on October 11, 2021.
The elite men's marathon was won by
Benson Kipruto in 2:09:51. The men's wheelchair race was won by
Marcel Hug
Marcel Eric Hug (; born 16 January 1986) is a Paralympic Games, Paralympic Track and field, athlete from Switzerland competing in category T54 (classification), T54 wheelchair racing events. Hug, nicknamed 'The Silver Bullet', has competed in fo ...
and the women's wheelchair race by
Manuela Schär
Manuela Schär (born December 5, 1984) is a paralympic athlete from Switzerland, competing mainly in category T54 sprint events. She has used a wheelchair since the age of 8, when a playground accident paralyzed her from the waist down.
Ca ...
, both of
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, in 1:18:11 and 1:35:21, respectively.
The elite women's marathon was won by Kenyan
Edna Kiplagat
Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat (born 15 November 1979) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the 2011 and 2013 World Champion in the marathon. She established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and Ne ...
with a time of 2:25:09, in a result made official on December 20, 2022, by the
Boston Athletic Association
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit dedicated to organized sports, with a focus on running, in the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Mar ...
, following a statement posted by the Athletics Integrity Unit.
COVID-19 impact and protocols
After the planned 2020 edition of the race was canceled, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, organizers moved the 2021 race from its traditional
Patriots' Day
Patriots' Day (Patriot's Day in Maine) is an annual event, formalized as a legal holiday or a special observance day in seven U.S. states, commemorating the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Menotomy, the inaugural battles of the America ...
date in April to
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. He went ashore at ...
federal holiday in October (which is a federal holiday, unlike Patriots' Day, a local only holiday). It was the first time that the
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...
was run in the fall. The Boston event was one day after the
2021 Chicago Marathon
The 2021 Chicago Marathon was held on October 10, 2021. It was the 43rd edition of the annual Chicago Marathon, and the first after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. The 2020 Chicago Marathon was canceled as a result of the pandemic. T ...
, and multiple wheelchair racers chose to compete in both events.
Organizers also limited the field to 20,000 runners. Race entrants were required to provide proof of
COVID vaccination or take an on-site
COVID test yielding a negative result before the race.
[ Participants were issued a bracelet to be worn through completion of the race, as proof of compliance.] Runners were required to comply with local face masks requirements, and while using race transportation, but masks were not required during the marathon.
Course
The marathon distance is officially , as sanctioned by World Athletics
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...
. The start is in the town of Hopkinton, and the first are downhill through Ashland and into the city of Framingham
Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popula ...
. Leaving Framingham, the runners enter the town of Natick
Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...
, before passing through the "Scream Tunnel" at mile 12. This area is lined by young women from the nearby Wellesley College
Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...
who request kisses from runners, a tradition that has been in place for more than 100 years. At mile 15, there is a large downhill section, followed by a climb at mile 16 crossing the Yankee Division Highway. The runners take a right turn onto Commonwealth Avenue in Newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
People
* Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname
* ...
before starting the first of the four Newton Hills.
The first hill is a steep climb, the second about , the third a steep before the runners start the infamous "Heartbreak Hill" at just after mile 20. At half a mile long and with a 3.3% percent incline
Incline, inclined, inclining, or inclination may refer to:
*Grade (slope), the tilt, steepness, or angle from horizontal of a topographic feature (hillside, meadow, etc.) or constructed element (road, railway, field, etc.)
*Slope, the tilt, steepn ...
, it is not especially difficult, but due to the hill being into the race, it is still feared as the runners' legs are usually tired at this point. The course is mostly downhill to the end, and passes through Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
before entering Cleveland Circle
Cleveland Circle is an area of Boston, Massachusetts. It is located at the southern tip of Boston's Brighton neighborhood, and more specifically the Aberdeen section of Brighton, in close proximity to Brookline and Chestnut Hill, Massachusett ...
and Kenmore Square
Kenmore Square is a square in the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is formed by the crossing of Beacon Street, Commonwealth Avenue, and Brookline Avenue. It is the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 20, the longest U. ...
, where there are many spectators. The final mile has a slight incline, before it flattens off to finish on Boylston Street
Boylston Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, and its western suburbs. The street begins in Boston's Chinatown, Boston, Chinatown neighborhood, forms the southern border of the Public Garden (Boston) ...
.
Race summary
For the first time in Boston Marathon history, the elite men's race was started separately from the mass participation event. The event was won by Kenyan Benson Kipruto. CJ Albertson led the race in the early stages, before fading away; at the halfway point of the race, Albertson was over two minutes ahead of everyone else. Kipruto pulled away from the leading pack with to go in the race, on Beacon Street
Beacon Street is a major east–west street in Boston, Massachusetts, and its western suburbs of Brookline, Massachusetts, Brookline and Newton, Massachusetts, Newton. It passes through many of Boston's central and western neighborhoods, includ ...
, and won by 49 seconds. Ethiopians Lemi Berhanu and Jemal Yimer
Jemal Yimer Mekonnen (born 11 September 1996) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.
He placed fourth at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, and finished fifth at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 10,000 metres.
...
finished second and third respectively. Colin Bennie was the top finishing American, in seventh place, and Albertson finished tenth overall.
The elite women's race was won by Kenyan Edna Kiplagat
Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat (born 15 November 1979) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the 2011 and 2013 World Champion in the marathon. She established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and Ne ...
; it was the eighth time since 2000 that Kenyans had won both elite events. Fellow Kenyans Mary Ngugi and Monicah Ngige finished second and third respectively. At the halfway point, there were 14 runners in the lead group, and eight of those ran negative split
A negative split is a racing strategy that involves completing the second half of a race faster than the first half. It is defined by the intentional setting of a slower initial pace, followed by a gradual or sudden increase of speed towards the e ...
s. Nell Rojas was the best finishing American; she was fifth overall. 2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
winner Desiree Linden
Desiree "Des" Nicole Linden (née Davila; born July 26, 1983) is an American long-distance runner, author, and podcaster. She represented the United States in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics women's marathon. In 2 ...
was ill during the race. Shalane Flanagan
Shalane Grace Flanagan (born July 8, 1981) is an American long-distance runner, coach, Olympic medalist and New York City Marathon champion. She was the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon since 1977. She holds the NACAC area ...
finished in a time of 2:40:34 as part of an attempt to finish the five active World Marathon Majors in 2021 in 42 days. The previous day in Chicago, she had finished in 2:46:39, and she had previously finished in 2:38:32 at Berlin and 2:35:04 at London.
The men's wheelchair race was won by Swiss athlete Marcel Hug
Marcel Eric Hug (; born 16 January 1986) is a Paralympic Games, Paralympic Track and field, athlete from Switzerland competing in category T54 (classification), T54 wheelchair racing events. Hug, nicknamed 'The Silver Bullet', has competed in fo ...
. He was on a course record time, which would have earned him $50,000, until he took a wrong turn. Hug finished in a time of 01:18:11, seven seconds slower than the course record, which he had set in 2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
. American Daniel Romanchuk
Daniel Romanchuk (born August 3, 1998) is an American Paralympic athlete who competes primarily in wheelchair racing events. He won the Chicago Marathon on October 7, 2018. Less than a month later, he made history as the first American to win th ...
finished second, seven minutes and 35 seconds behind Hug, and Ernst van Dyk was third overall.
The women's wheelchair race was won by Manuela Schär
Manuela Schär (born December 5, 1984) is a paralympic athlete from Switzerland, competing mainly in category T54 sprint events. She has used a wheelchair since the age of 8, when a playground accident paralyzed her from the waist down.
Ca ...
.[ Schär won the event by almost 15 minutes, and it was her third Boston Marathon victory.][ Schär took the lead early on, and by half distance, she was five minutes ahead of ]Tatyana McFadden
Tatyana McFadden (; born April 21, 1989) is an American Paralympic athlete competing in the category T54. McFadden has won twenty-two Paralympic medals across multiple Summer and Winter Paralympic Games and the Laureus World Sportsperson of ...
, her nearest competitor. McFadden finished second overall.[
]
Diana Kipyokei doping
On November 4, 2021, the University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
Olympic Analytical Laboratory, an official World Anti-Doping Agency laboratory, found Diana Kipyokei of Kenya, who finished first in the women's division with a time of 2:24:45, tested positive for triamcinolone acetonide
Triamcinolone acetonide, sold under the brand name Kenalog among others, is a synthetic compound, synthetic corticosteroid medication used topical medication, topically to treat various skin conditions, to relieve the discomfort of mouth sores, ...
from her samples taken at the Boston Marathon. Her representative sent a statement to the Athletics Integrity Unit
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is a Monaco-based organization founded by World Athletics in April 2017 to combat doping and address other forms of ethical misconduct in the sport of athletics. It operates independently from World Athletics ...
stating she had been injected with the prohibited substance by David Njenga of Roybey Chemists on August 3, 2021, at the Uasin Gishu County Hospital in Eldoret, to treat a tendonitis injury from the Prague Marathon
The Prague Marathon (also known as Prague International Marathon) is an annual road marathon held in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic each May. It was founded in 1995 and has grown to become a significant event, being awarded IAAF G ...
after three visits to the hospital on June 5 and July 14, 2021.
On December 7, 2021, the Athletics Integrity Unit announced after her representative's statement that she was under formal investigation for doping charges after a positive test. On February 8, 2022, she was interrogated by the organisation, where she admitted two injections of the prohibited substance by Dr. Njenga occurred in September 2021. The Anti-Doping Association of Kenya was then interviewed, where a statement was released April 14, 2022. The anti-doping agency statement noted she did not visit the Eldoret hospital in the three dates referenced in the report, and the injection was not at the hospital, nor were official documents. The agency noted the documents were falsified.
On June 27, 2022, Kipyokei admitted she asked Dr. Njenga to prepare the falsified medical documents to the Athletics Integrity Unit, paying the doctor 20,000 Kenyan shilling
The shilling (; abbreviation: KSh; ISO 4217, ISO code: KES) is the currency of Kenya. It is divided into 100 cents. The Central Bank of Kenya Act cap 491, mandated the printing and minting of the Kenyan shilling currency.
Notation
Prices in ...
s, and the information from the medical documents from the Eldoret hospital were false.
On October 14, 2022, she was charged with a positive test and tampering with doping control. On December 19, 2022, the six-year suspension went into effect, including formally being disqualified from the 2021 Boston Marathon by the Athletics Integrity Unit. The next day, Boston Athletic Association
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is a non-profit dedicated to organized sports, with a focus on running, in the Greater Boston area. The B.A.A. hosts such events as the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. 5K, the B.A.A. 10K, the B.A.A. Half Mar ...
formally stripped her of the win, with rankings and prize money adjusted.
Results
Men
Source:[Results]
/ref>
Women
Source:[
Note: Women's table adjusted following the October 14, 2022, revision of results due to the disqualification of Diana Kipyokei.
]
Wheelchair men
Source:[
]
Wheelchair women
Source:[
]
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Official website
{{2021 in athletics
Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
Boston Marathon, 2021