The annual Boston Marathon took place today, and more than ever the city of Boston, as well as the rest of the United States, needed to the event to be a representation of how the country comes together in moments of true adversity. As if the stars were all aligned perfectly, a US man named Meb Keflezighi became the first American man to win the race since 1983 according to USA Today, crossing the finish line at 2:08:37.
This shouldn’t have been a win for Keflezighi, as he turns 39 next month and this race has been dominated by the Kenyans winning it 19 times since 1991. In fact, he was only a spectator at the race last year, but it was the right time for an American man to win.
For the women, Rita Jeptoo of Kenya came through with the win. While American Shalane Flanagan was making a good pace through the first half and led the way, she ended up finished in seventh place.