Evans Chebet won his second straight Boston Marathon on Monday, finishing in 2:05:54 for the third-fastest time in race history.
It was Chebet’s third major marathon victory. After winning Boston last year, when he ran a 2:06:51, Chebet followed with a 2:08:41 time at the New York City Marathon in November.
Chebet has been running professionally since 2011, but did not win his first marathon until 2019 in Buenos Aires. He previously ran Boston in 2018, but dropped out because of inclement weather. He’s only the sixth man to win back-to-back titles.
Much of the fanfare around this race surrounded the first appearance of Eliud Kipchoge on the streets of Boston, as the world’s greatest marathoner took on the sport’s most prestigious race. But it was far from a fairy tale for the Kenyan, who looked typically relaxed out front for the first 17 miles until Newton’s famous hills intervened.
The two-time Olympic medalist never recovered, even when things flattened out after Boston College, as another move from Chebet at Mile 21 broke the race open. By then, Kipchoge trailed by close to a minute.
