Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia (Left) reclaimed the title he won two years ago, winning the Boston Marathon by a 31-second margin Monday. Caroline Rotich of Kenya (Right) won the women's race. (Photo: USA Today)
By John Powers
APRIL 20, 2015
Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa ran away from the pack to post his second Boston Marathon men’s victory in three years, outkicking countryman Yemane Tsegay Monday to win by 31 seconds in a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 17 seconds on a breezy and overcast day.
“I am happy to win and for a strong Boston 2013,” said the 25-year-old Desisa, who two years won the race that was shattered by terrorist bombings near the Boylston Street finish line.
Desisa, who dropped out of last year’s event that was won by Meb Keflezighi, was content to run with nine rivals into a headwind through the Newton hills. But once he came onto the flats, he pulled away from Tsegay and Kenya’s Wilson Chebet, last year’s runner-up, to win by the largest margin since Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot in 2010.
US Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein finished seventh in his Boston debut in 2:11:20 while Keflezighi was eighth in 2:12:42.
—
Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.
