Jeptoo wins Boston Marathon

Boston

Separating herself from the lead pack with a long and punishing stride, Rita Jeptoo of Kenya became a three-time winner of the Boston Marathon when she won the 118th running, flying to the finish in a course-record time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, 57 seconds.

In the men’s race, Meb Keflezighi became the first American since Greg Meyer in 1983 to win the Boston Marathon, holding off Kenya’s Wilson Chebet down the stretch for the triumph.

The 38-year-old, whose other wins include the 2009 New York Marathon and 2012 US Olympic trials, won in an unofficial time of two hours, eight minutes and 37 seconds, what would be a personal best and second-best US men’s time ever at Boston.

Eritrea-born Keflezighi’s previous best performance in Boston was third in 2006.

Jeptoo bettered the previous mark (2:20:43) set in 2002 by Margaret Okayo of Kenya. It was Jeptoo’s second consecutive Boston victory after she won last year’s race, which was marred by a pair of bomb blasts near the Boylston Street finish, in 2:26:25.

The top female marathoner in the world in 2013, Jeptoo followed her Boston victory last year with a win in Chicago, where finished in 2:19:57.

Pressed the accelerator

With 5 kilometers remaining, Jeptoo ran without peer as she pressed the accelerator, splintering a lead pack of four runners to run the eighth fastest marathon ever for a woman.

Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia finished second, also bettering the course record with a 2:20:00 while Mare DiBaba of Ethiopia finished third.

Drawing a deep breath before she toed the Hopkinton starting line, Shalane Flanagan, who grew up in Marblehead, was bound and determined to get out fast — and she did — leading the first 5 miles of the 26.2-mile race.

Flanagan, who finished fourth last year in her Boston debut in 2:27:08, set the early pace as half of the runners in the lead pack were forced to take water after completing the 5K mark in a blistering 16:12 pace, which was almost 30 seconds faster than the course-record pace.

At the 10K mark, the field continued to narrow, with Flanagan pushing a pace that put the women on a projected finish of 2:17:21, well ahead of the course record.

A trio of Ethiopian runners, which included Mare Dibaba, Belaynesh Oljira, and Buzunesh Deba, kept pace with Flanagan, waiting to see when and if she would falter. But through 9 miles, Flanagan remained at the front of a pack that was pared to nine runners with 47:20 elapsed.

Through the half marathon, Flanagan continued to set a strong pace, leading a group of eight runners in 1:09:25, which was better than the course record of 1:10:21.

With 1:16:00 elapsed, Deba attempted to draw even with Flanagan in Wellesley, but Flanagan refused to relinquish the lead, pushing the pace hard enough to resist Deba’s takeover attempt.

With 1:43:00 elapsed, the lead pack started to make a move on Flanagan, with Dibaba and Jeptoo moving to the front.

Flanagan fought hard to stay with the leaders as they approached the foot of Heartbreak Hill, but wound up dropping to the back of a lead pack of six runners.

Dibaba led a foursome

As they scaled Heartbreak Hill, Jeptoo and DiBaba led a foursome that included Deba and Jemima Jelagat Sumgong of Kenya. Flanagan descended Heartbreak Hill 13 seconds astern of the leaders and wound up finishing sixth in 2:22:01.

Elsewhere, A man in Argentina’s second largest city, Cordoba, dropped dead Sunday just after receiving his prize for winning a half marathon, organizers said.

Ezequiel Ponce, 27, collapsed after receiving the award after he beat out 500 rivals to take the prize, in a 21 kilometer (13-mile) race organized by a company and Cordoba’s city hall. (Agencies)