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The 119th Running of the Boston Marathon - The Women's Race
by John Elliott
Cheaters - Unfortunate
Certain classes of drugs can give athletes an advantage over others and so they are banned. Athletes caught using those drugs are first slapped with a two-year suspension and then a lifetime exclusion from participating in running competition. They are also required to give back their winnings and are stripped of their titles for the period in which they are caught. Despite the potential penalty, the temptation is there to receive the benefits of the drugs and accept the risk of being caught - the temptation is there to cheat. Although drug-cheating in athletics is not as rampant as it proved to be in cycling, it has been a problem in recent years. First, it seemed to be a problem coming from limited locales: Russia as well as as some cheating from Morocco and Ethiopia. But more recently some high profile Kenyan athletes have been caught cheating.
The most recent example, which has been arguably the biggest blow for the sport, is that of Rita Jeptoo. Jeptoo was the 2006 Boston Marathon champion and 2008 third-place finisher before taking a few years off from the marathon and returning in late 2011. From 2011 through 2014, Jeptoo showed remarkable progress in her running and seemed unstoppable in 2013 and 2014, winning the 2013 Boston and Chicago Marathons and the 2014 Boston and Chicago Marathons including setting the 2014 course record in Boston. Unfortunately if something seems too good to be true, it likely is. Jeptoo tested positive for banned substances in the Fall of 2014 and was stripped of her Chicago Marathon victory and suspended from the sport. With that, many will question the legitimacy of Jeptoo's 2013 and 2014 Boston victories and the legitimacy of the time that now stands as the course record. In addition, as she is under suspension, the Boston field was lessened by the absence of its defending champion and course-record holder.
Shalane Flanagan running Boston
photo credit: Victah Sailer |
The Possibility of An American Champion?
The women's marathon at Boston had not seen an American winner in thirty years, not since Lisa Rainsburger won the race in 1985. Over the years it has been a theme and a hope that an American could win Boston. Shalane Flanagan - the 2012 USA Olympic Trials winner and one of the USA's most talented distance runners - believed that a 2:22 time would win the 2013 Boston Marathon and pushed the pace of that race from the beginning to run her time but ultimately finish a disappointing seventh place. Flanagan followed that up with a 2:21:14 at Berlin in the Fall of 2014 and many believed that with the cheater Jeptoo out of the race, Flanagan could have a shot at the victory - finally - in 2015.
Desiree Linden Leads the Pack
photo credit: Victah Sailer |
The Pace/The Pack
In 2014, as noted, Flanagan pushed the pace from the start resulting in a good 2:22:02 for her and propelling Rita Jeptoo to the course record of 2:18:57. In other years, the pace has been slow, most notably at the 2009 race when the winning time was slower than 2:32. For 2015, the runners went off on an honest, strong pace toward a 2:25 finish. With that as the pace, a dozen women ran together in what is a very large pack for this race. Buzunesh Deba, the 2014 runner-up and wearing bib number 1, was the initial leader but by mile 8 leadership had gone to another American in the race, Desiree Linden.
Marathons seldom go exactly as scripted and although most American hopes hined on Flanagan, it was Desiree Linden that shone for the Americans in 2015. Flanagan faded back at mile 17 and would ultimately finish in ninth place nearly three minutes off the lead. Meanwhile, Linden continued to lead the pack for most of 16 miles - through to mile 23. A surge at mile 23 broke the pack apart and only three women were able to continue in the lead with Linden settling for fourth place through to the finish.
Caroline Rotich Leading
photo credit: Victah Sailer |
The finish of the 2015 Marathon was one of the most exciting in history and came down to a race of three women on the final stretch. It seemed like it could be anyone's race between 2014 runner-up Buzunesh Deba, Caroline Rotich and Mare Dibaba. But with 30 yards to the finish, Rotich showed she had another gear and surged to the win in 2:24:55. Mare Dibaba was second in 2:24:59, Buzunesh Deba finished third in 2:25:09 and Desiree Linden fourth in 2:25:39.
The Americans
With their finishes, Desiree Linden and Shalane Flanagan cemented their positions as the two best female American marathoners running today. They were the two top finishers at the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon (with Flanagan winning that race) - and it should be certain that they will be the top two at the 2016 Olympic Trails marathon ten months after Boston. Flanagan ultimately had a bad day, but her time of 2:27:47 - bad for her - is a time that no other American women are running. Behind these two, Amy Cragg (nee Hastings) was in the lead pack for the first half of the race but found the pace too difficult and dropped out before the finish. Adriana Nelson finished as third American in 2:38:47, more than ten minutes behind Flanagan.
Top Finishers:
1. Caroline Rotich (KEN) 2:24:55 - $150,000
2. Mare Dibaba (ETH) 2:24:59 - $75,000
3. Buzunesh Deba (ETH) 2:25:09 - $40,000
4. Desiree Linden (USA) 2:25:39 - $25,000
5. Sharon Cherop (KEN) 2:26:05 - $15,000
6. Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:26:40 - $12,000
7. Aberu Kebede (ETH) 2:26:52 - $9,000
8. Shure Demise (ETH) 2:27:14 - $7,400
9. Shalane Flanagan (USA) 2:27:47 - $5,700
10. Joyce Chepkirui (KEN) 2:29:07 - $4,200
11. Aleksandra Duliba (BLR) 2:29:23 - $2,600
12. Lisa Nemec (CRO) 2:35:18 - $2,100
13. Adriana Nelson (USA) 2:38:47 - $1,800
14. Megumi Amako (JPN) 2:39:08 - $1,700
15. Hilary Dionne (USA) 2:40:42 - $1,500
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