Defending champions Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya and Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia overcame difficult weather conditions to win the men's and women's races at the 111th edition of the Boston Marathon in Massachusetts.
Runners battled a soaking rain with chilly 11 degree Celsius temperatures Monday, as wind gusts reached more than 80 kilometers an hour. Cheruiyot claimed his third title in the 42.2 kilometer race in 2 hours, 14.13 minutes. Grigoryeva completed the women's race in 2 hours, 29.18 minutes in the slowest winning times since 1985.
Kenyans swept the men's podium, with James Kwambai finishing second, 20 seconds back. Stephen Kiogora took third place, 34 seconds off the pace. Jelena Prokopcuka was the women's runner-up, 40 seconds behind Grigoryeva, while Medai Perez of Mexico took third place, 58 seconds behind.
Japanese athletes won both wheelchair races, with Masazumi Soejima taking the men's crown in one hour, 29.16 minutes. The women's title went to Wakako Tsuchida, in one hour, 53.30 minutes.