Lelisa Desisa Benti of Ethiopia crosses the finish line to win the men's division of the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 15, 2013.
African Runners Continue Dominance at Boston Marathon
BOSTON —
Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa and Kenya's Rita Jeptoo won the men's and women's Boston Marathon on Monday, continuing African runners' dominance in the sport.
Desisa finished in an unofficial two hours, 10 minutes and 23 seconds, besting Ethiopia's Gebregziabher Gebremariam and Kenya's Micah Kogo in a finishing sprint.
Jeptoo closed up in an unofficial two hours, 26 minutes and 25 seconds, crossing the finish line more than 30 seconds ahead of her nearest challenger, Meseret Hailu of Ethiopia.
Americans took fourth place in both races, with Jason Hartmann and Shalane Flanagan finishing just off the podium. No American has won since Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach in 1985.
Rita Jeptoo of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the women's division of the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 15, 2013.
Jeptoo passed Portugal's Ana Dulce Felix, who had held a commanding lead for eight miles, in the 24th mile of the 117th running of the race.
Runners faced milder conditions on Monday than they had a year earlier, with the temperature in Boston reaching 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12C) at the finish, well below the 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29C) in 2012.
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