Evans Chebet Wins Boston Marathon + 26.2 Fun Race Facts

We predicted that the GOAT marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge would win the 127th Boston Marathon.

😲But that's not what happened.

🏃‍♀️This year's race included an incredible upset on the infamous Heartbreak Hill, along with plenty of fanfare, sportsmanship, and grit along the course from Hopkinton to downtown Boston.

Check out the race results + 26.2 fun facts about the Boston Marathon.

 The first place finishers at the 127th Boston Marathon are:

• Men's race: Evans Chebet (Kenya). Time: 2:05:54. He won last year's Boston Marathon in 2:06:51.
• Women's race:  Hellen Obiri  (Kenya). Time:  2:21:38.

Around mile 20 on the Boston Marathon route, runner's make a short climb up the infamous Heartbreak Hill.

• That's where Chebet made his move. 
• He surged ahead of Kipchoge and took the lead.
• Kipchoge finished sixth overall in 2:09:23.

FYI...he's still considered the GOAT of marathon running, and currently world record holder for running 26.2 miles faster than anyone else: 2:01:39.

Seventy-seven-year-old Patty Hung set a new record for most consecutive female finishes at the Boston Marathon.

• The new record: 37 consecutive finishes.

This year's Boston Marathon included a new gender category:

• Non-Binary. 27 people who identify as non-binary ran the Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon is the most famous marathon in the world. But it's also one of the largest.

• 30,239 participants signed up to run the Boston Marathon. (That's about 5,000 more than last year.)
• Men: 17,272
• Women: 12,940
• Non-Binary: 27

So where do all the runners come from who participate in the Boston Marathon?

All over the world.

This year's race included:

• Residents of 106 Countries and All 50 U.S. States
• Citizens of 120 countries
• 4,704 Massachusetts residents

The Boston Athletic Association depends on volunteers to make the race happen. 

Working behind the scenes, before the race, at aid stations, and the finish line included:

• 7,500 Volunteers
• 1,600 Medical Volunteers

To make things a little more interesting, this year's race marks the strongest pro field of runners in Boston Marathon history, including

• 12 Boston Marathon winners
• Evans Chebet returned to defend his title in 2023 after winning the 126th Boston Marathon last year in 2:06:51.

Even though there were great performances this year, it's been more than six years since a course record was broken at the Boston Marathon.

The current course records are:

• Men: Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya), 2:03:02, 2011
• Women’: Buzunesh Deba (Ethiopia), 2:19:59, 2014
• Men’s Wheelchair: Marcel Hug (Switzerland), 1:18:04, 2017
• Women’s Wheelchair: Manuela Schär (Switzerland), 1:28:17, 2017

•  Gold medal tennis player Monica Puig met marathon gold-medal winner Eliud Kipchoge before the Boston Marathon.
• Running her first Boston marathon, Puig received tips, encouragement and a signed book from Kipchoge.
• Puig gave Kipchoge a signed racket, and encouraged him to practice playing the game. 

With 30,000 runners an an estimated 500,000 spectators along the course, there's going to be a lot of waste. 

But the Boston Marathon has a plan for that. Did you know an estimated:

• 80% of waste from the course is diverted into sustainable streams, recycling and compost
• 21 tons of clothing was collected along the course at the 2022 Boston Marathon and donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters
• 6.6 tons of paper cups are composted after the race

Like tracking steps on your phone, watch, or fitness tracker? Check this out. The average step count to finish the Boston Marathon is:

• Men: 55,374 steps
• Women: 62,926 steps

Ever wonder why the Boston Marathon is held on the third Monday in April?

It's Patriot's Day. It's a state-observed holiday in Maine and Massachusetts.

The holiday commemorates early battles fought in the area during the Revolutionary War.

Did you know women were once prohibited from running the Boston Marathon?

• In 1967 Katherine Switzer signed up to run the Boston Marathon using only her initials K.V. Switzer.
• When race official Jock Semple learned she was running the race, he tried to rip her bib number off. But friends kept that from happening so she could finish.
• In 1972, women were officially allowed to participate in the Boston Marathon.
• Bobbi Gibb was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon incognito in 1966.

Finish in the top 10 at the Boston Marathon, and you'll get more than a medal, T-shirt, and race swag:

Prize money for winners includes:

• 1st place: $150,000
• 2nd place: $75,000
• 3rd place: $40,000
• 4th place: $25,000
• 5th place: $18,000
• 6th place: $13,500
• 7th place: $10,500
• 8th place: $8,500
• 9th place: $7,000
• 10th place: $5,500
• Bonus: Break the course record for an extra $50,000

Prize money is also awarded to the top 10 finishers in the Wheelchair Division and the top three finishers in the Masters Division and Para Division.

You won't find a runner wearing bib number 2013 at this year's Boston Marathon.

Why? Race officials decided not to issue the bib number in recognition of ten years since the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013.

Michelle Brooks Thompson sang the National Anthem before the start of the Boston Marathon.

She's an award-winning independent recording artist and finalist on reality TV show The Voice.

The Boston Marathon begins with a flyover by two F-15s from the 104th Fighter Wing out of Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Mass. 

It only takes the jets four minutes to fly the 26.2-mile marathon route from Hopkinton to Boston.

Well, this year marked the 127th year of the race. 

The first Boston Marathon was held in 1897. 

Runners have been stepping up to this starting line longer than any other marathon in the world.

There's a famous section along the Boston Marathon route that can make or break you.

Heartbreak Hill. It's tough climb around mile 20. But it's downhill to the finish after that. 

This is where Evans Chebet, Benson Kipruto, and Gabriel Geay surged ahead of Eliud Kipchoge during this year's race.

Ever wonder how many port-a-potties the Boston Marathon needs for the event?

• About 1,000. And it's never enough. Just ask anyone who's been there to tell you their bathroom story.

Run enough miles, and you're bound to experience chafing.

So how does the Boston Marathon help runners deal with it?

• Stocking aid stations with 150 pounds of petroleum jelly.

Pick up your race packet at the Boston Marathon Expo, and you'll get your race bib (and other swag), along with safety pins to attach your race number. 

• The Boston Marathon gives out about 100,000 safety pins 

Need an easy-to-digest food source to prevent cramping and boost energy? Grab a banana.

• There's an estimated 28,000 bananas at aid stations along the Boston Marathon route.

There's 26 aid stations along the Boston Marathon route where you can get help. 

Thirsty? Feeling dehydrated? Stop at an aid station...

• Runners drink about 35,000 gallons of water on race day.

Did you see the guy wearing bib number 1968 at the Boston Marathon?

It's Amby Burfoot, the former editor of Runner's World magazine, and the 1968 winner of the Boston Marathon.

He won the race in 1968 with a time of 2:22:17.

At 76 years old, he returned to run the Boston Marathon...again. Since his win in 1968, he's ran the race more than 20 times.

Thinking about running the Boston Marathon next year? You'll need to run a qualifying race first within a certain time based on your age and gender:

Men: Boston Marathon qualifying times

• Age 18-34: 3hrs 00min 00sec
• Age 35-39: 3hrs 05min 00sec
• Age 40-44: 3hrs 10min 00sec
• Age 45-49: 3hrs 20min 00sec
• Age 50-54: 3hrs 25min 00sec
• Age 55-59: 3hrs 35min 00sec
• Age 60-64: 3hrs 50min 00sec
• Age 65-69: 4hrs 05min 00sec
• Age 70-74: 4hrs 20min 00sec
• Age 75-79: 4hrs 35min 00sec
• Age 80 and over: 4hrs 50min 00sec

Women: Boston Marathon qualifying times

• Age 18-34: 3hrs 30min 00sec
• Age 35-39: 3hrs 35min 00sec
• Age 40-44: 3hrs 40min 00sec
• Age 45-49: 3hrs 50min 00sec
• Age 50-54: 3hrs 55min 00sec
• Age 55-59: 4hrs 05min 00sec
• Age 60-64: 4hrs 20min 00sec
• Age 65-69: 4hrs 35min 00sec
• Age 70-74: 4hrs 50min 00sec
• Age 75-79: 5hrs 05min 00sec
• Age 80 and over: 5hrs 20min 00sec

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