Boston Marathon 2023 takes place today
Boston Marathon 2023 will take place on April 17, starting with the men's wheelchair content starting at 9:02 local time, ie 20:02 Hanoi time, followed by the women's wheelchair. The men's and women's marathon content competed at 9:37 and 9:47, respectively. The competition route starts from the town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, with the destination on Boylston Street, Boston.
In the men's content, all eyes will be on Eliud Kipchoge, topping the list of more than 70 professional runners. The legend born in 1984 holds the world marathon record of 2 hours 1 minute 9 seconds set at the Berlin Marathon in September 2022. 2023 will be the first time the Kenyan runner competes in the Boston Marathon.
Kipchoge aims to set a record in Boston, with a tough run. He needs to surpass the 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds mark set by fellow runner Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 and is expected to be able to do this.
In an interview with the Daily Nation, Kipchoge said he set up a training track that simulates the Boston Marathon near his home in Kaptagat, Kenya. In addition, training in Kaptagat, 2,500 m above sea level, also brings many benefits to runners.
"Training at high altitude helps me breathe better, run faster. That's why I don't want to participate in only six WMM tournaments, I want to participate and win all six," he shared. .
If he wins this world's oldest running race, Kipchoge has only one prize left in the system of six largest running tournaments on the planet, the World Marathon Majors, which is the New York City Marathon in November. The Kenyan record holder was crowned in Tokyo (2022), Berlin (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022), London (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and Chicago (2014).
Right behind Kipchoge is fellow countryman Evans Chebet, who won the 2022 Boston Marathon with a time of 2 hours 6 minutes 51 seconds. This year's award also has the return of two former kings Benson Kipruto and Lelisa Desisa. Kipruto, the Kenyan, won the 2021 championship, with a time of 2 hours 9 minutes 51 seconds and Desisa, the Ethiopian, won the 2013 and 2015 championships with a time of 2 hours 10 minutes 22 seconds and 2 hours 9 minutes 17 seconds, respectively.
The women's event will also be the fastest race in the history of the tournament, when out of nearly 70 professional runners, 16 have achieved a personal record of under 2 hours and 21 minutes. Notably, rising star Amane Beriso, is the world's number three female marathon runner, with a record of 2 hours 14 minutes 58 seconds set in 2022 and also an Ethiopian record.
The list also includes defending world champion Goytom Gebreslase and Edna Kiplagat, a two-time Boston Marathon champion.
Boston Marathon, founded in 1897, is the oldest running race in the world, and belongs to the World Marathon Majors (WMM) system, alongside five races in New York, Chicago, London, Berlin and Tokyo.
Boston Marathon 2023 is also the first time that registration is open for non-binary runners, following two other WMM events, the New York Marathon and the Chicago Marathon. The London Marathon, taking place on April 23, is the next WMM to have this category.
This year, women's and non-binary runners aged 18-34 need a minimum of 3 hours and 30 minutes to qualify for Boston. For men's events of the same age, runners need to achieve no later than 3 hours.
