Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir, Evans Chebet complete Kenyan sweep in Boston Marathon | CBC Sports

On the 50th anniversary of the first official women’s race, Jepchirchir traded places with Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh eight times in the final mile before pulling ahead for good on Boylston Street and finishing in 2 hours, 21 minutes, 1 seconds.

“I was feeling she was strong. I pushed it,” said Jepchirchir, who earned $150,000 US and the traditional gilded olive wreath. “I fell behind. But I didn’t lose hope.”

Malindi Elmore of Kelowna, B.C., the Canadian women’s marathon record holder, was 11th. The 42-year-old’s time of 2:27.58 was under the world championship qualifying standard.

WATCH l Jepchirchir wins Boston Marathon after taking gold in Tokyo:

Peres Jepchirchir wins Boston Marathon after taking gold in Tokyo

The Kenyan edged Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh to win the women’s race in a time of 2:21:01. 1:11

Evans Chebet completed the Kenyan sweep, breaking away from Gabriel Geay with about four miles to go to finish in 2:06:51 for his first major marathon victory. The 2019 winner Lawrence Cherono was second, 30 seconds back, defending champion Benson Kipruto was third, and Geay fell back to fourth.

Trevor Hofbauer was the top Canadian in the men’s race, finishing 15th in 2:10.52. The 30-year-old from Calgary dipped under the world championship entry standard with his finishing time.

American Daniel Romanchuk won his second career men’s wheelchair title in 1:26:58. Switzerland’s Manuela Schar won her second straight Boston crown and fourth overall, finishing in 1:41:08.

Sharing a weekend with the Red Sox home opener — the city’s other sporting rite of spring — more than 28,000 runners returned to the streets from Hopkinton to Copley Square six months after a smaller and socially distanced event that was the only fall race in its 126-year history.

WATCH l Chebet claims victory in Boston by 30 seconds:

Evans Chebet wins Boston Marathon by 30 seconds

The Kenyan cruised to the finish line in a time of 2:06:51 on Monday 1:07

Support for Ukraine

Fans waved Ukrainian flags in support of the few dozen runners whose 26.2-mile run from Hopkinton to Copley Square was the easiest part of their journey. Athletes from Russia and Belarus were disinvited in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainians who were unable to make it to Boston were offered a deferral or refund.

“Whatever they want to do, they can do,” Boston Athletic Association President Tom Grilk said. “Run this year, run next year. You want a puppy? Whatever. There is no group we want to be more helpful to.”

Jepchirchir and Yeshaneh spent most of the morning running shoulder to shoulder — or even closer: In the first half, the Ethiopian’s eyes wandered from the course and she drifted into Jepchirchir.

She reached out to apologize, and the two clasped each other’s arms as they continued on.

“She’s my best friend,” Jepchirchir said.

This year’s race marked the 50th anniversary of Nina Kuscsik’s victory as the inaugural official women’s winner. (But not the first woman to finish the race: That honour belongs to Bobbi Gibb, who first ran in 1966 among the unofficial runners known as bandits.)

Valerie Rogosheske, who finished sixth in ’72, said she had been planning to hide in the bushes and run as a bandit that year before women got the go-ahead a few weeks before the race.

She was among five of the original eight women to return this year for the festivities, running alongside her daughters, and serving as the honorary starter for the women’s elite field.

“There was just this feeling of, ‘Boy, we’re going to do this. No one can drop out. There are eyes upon us,”‘ she said at the starting line on Monday. “Many people didn’t think we should be running a marathon. So that’s why we really felt that pressure, but opportunity as well, to finish this marathon.”