On Monday, the Boston Marathon was held for the it’s 119th year. Runners took on wind, rain, cold temps and the infamous Heartbreak Hill in Newton. Maybe it’s the running nerd in me, but as I watched the race online and saw runners at the start, struggling and smiling through the race I got butterflies in my stomach. Finishing the race alone is an amazing accomplishment and all finishers should be recognized. If you didn’t watch the race or want to relive some of the highlights of the marathon read on!
1. Women’s winner finish
Caroline Rotich of Kenya won the marathon in a time of 2:24:55, only four seconds ahead of Mare Dibada of Ethiopia. Watching them battle it out over the streets of Boston. After the race, Caroline explained what was going on in her head. She explained “I got to the last corner and I saw the finish-line tape and I thought, ‘This is it, I’m not going to let it go. I was like, ‘No, not today.’ And I kept going.”
2. Men’s winner finish
Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia won his second Boston Marathon in 2:09:17. Lelisa Desisa won the Boston Marathon in 2013, the year of the bombings and graciously donated his medal to the city. This year, he got a medal for himself.
3. Men’s wheelchair divison finish
Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair division in 1:29:53 beating Ernst Van Dyk, who had won the Boston Marathon 10 times.
4. Meb Keflezighi and Hilary Dionne cross the line together
Last year,elite American runner, Meb Keflezighi won the Boston Marathon, but this year struggled in the final mile and threw up five times. Still, it was a race to remember as he sprinted to and grabbed the hand of an also struggling,Hilary Dionne, before they crossed the finish line.
5. Midnight Marathon Bike Ride
During the early hours of Marathon Monday, bike riders annually bike the same route as the Boston Marathon and this year was no different.
6. Tatyana McFadden won the women’s wheelchair division
Tatyana McFadden, won her third Boston Marathon and gave the wreath that she received as part of her winnings to Bill Richards. Bill RIchards is the father of Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy, who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.
7. Maickel Melamed Finish
Vamos paso a paso. Llevamos 19 horas, 20 minutos, y estamos llegando a los últimos 900 mts.Mucho cansancio, que sólo se compara con el entusiasmo por llegar a la #meta junto a tantos corazones. #VAMOSBoston #SomosEquipo
Posted by Maickel Melamed on Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Early Tuesday morning Maickel Melamed, a Venezuelan college professor with muscular dystrophy finished the marathon after nearly 20 hours of running. This video shows his supporters counting his steps as he finishes the last 900 meters of the race
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