The
Boston Athletic Association Marathon is an annual
26.2 mile
road-running race held each
April on
Patriot's Day.
It could be argued that the
Boston Marathon
is the most
prestigious marathon in the U.S.
This could be due to the quite restrictive
qualifying
times they impose in order to register. The qualifying times
are as follows for the 2001 race:
AGE GROUP MEN WOMEN
18-34 3 hours 10 minutes 3 hours 40 minutes
35-39 3 hours 15 minutes 3 hours 45 minutes
40-44 3 hours 20 minutes 3 hours 50 minutes
45-49 3 hours 25 minutes 3 hours 55 minutes
50-54 3 hours 30 minutes 4 hours 00 minutes
55-59 3 hours 35 minutes 4 hours 05 minutes
60-64 3 hours 40 minutes 4 hours 10 minutes
65-69 3 hours 45 minutes 4 hours 15 minutes
70 & over 3 hours 50 minutes 4 hours 20 minutes
I would have to cut off at least 1.1 minutes per mile off of my
Marine Corps Marathon pace to qualify. Hah! We'll see.
The course is a straight one heading east from its start
in Hopkinton, through Ashland, Framingham, Natick,
Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline, and ends in Boston.
Here is an abridged list of Boston Marathon
Milestones taken from www.bostonmarathon.org.
- Monday, April 19, 1897
- The B.A.A. Marathon was originally called the American Marathon and was the final event of the B.A.A. Games. The first running of the B.A.A.
Marathon commenced at the site of Metcalf's Mill in Ashland and finished at the Irvington Oval near Copley Square. John J. McDermott, of New
York, emerged from a 15-member starting field to capture the inaugural
Boston Marathon.
- Saturday, April 19, 1924
- The course was lengthened to 26 miles, 385 yards to conform to the
Olympic standard, and the starting line was moved west to Hopkinton.
- Monday, April 20, 1936
- The last of Newton's hills was given the nickname "Heartbreak Hill" by Boston Globe reporter Jerry Nason. When John A. Kelley caught eventual
champion Ellison "Tarzan" Brown on the Newton Hills, Kelley made a friendly gesture of tapping Brown on the shoulder. Brown responded by
regaining the lead on the final hill, and, as Nason reported, "Breaking Kelley's heart."
- Saturday, April 19, 1947
- For the only time in the history of the men's open race, a world best was established at the Boston Marathon when Korean Yun Bok Suh turned in a
2:25:39.
- Monday, April 20, 1970
- Qualifying standards were introduced. The official B.A.A. entry form stated, "A runner must submit the certification...that he has trained
sufficiently to finish the course in less than four hours."
- Monday, April 17, 1972
- Women were allowed to officially run the Boston Marathon, and Nina Kuscsik emerged from an eight-member field to win the race in 3:10:26.
- Monday, April 15, 1996 (Centennial Race)
- The historic 100th running of the Boston Marathon attracted 38,708, which stands as the largest starting field in the history of the sport. Uta
Pippig overcame a 30-second deficit and severe dehydration, among other difficulties, to become the first woman of the official era to win the race
in three consecutive years.
- Monday, April 15, 2002
- Kenyan men wrapped up the first four spots, 1-2-3-4, led by Rodgers Rop
who crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 2 seconds. Their
fellow Kenyan Margaret Okayo demolished the women's record by a full minute
and 2 seconds at 2:20:43. South Africa's Ernst Van Dyk beat his winning
time last year in the men's wheelchair division with his 1:23:19 time, and
Edith Hunkler won the women's wheelchair division with 1:45:57.
- Monday, April 15, 2013
- Two explosions at finish line causes the race to be aborted after about 4 hours
Here is a list of the Boston Marathon champions until 2008.
(source: www.bostonmarathon.org).
Notice that women weren't allowed to
run officially until 1972. Wikipedia now keeps a list which is updated more promptly.
MEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONS
1897 John J. McDermott New York 2:55:10
1898 Ronald J. MacDonald Canada 2:42:00
1899 Lawrence Brignolia Massachusetts 2:54:38
1900 John Caffery Canada 2:39:44
1901 John Caffery Canada 2:29:23
1902 Sammy Mellor New York 2:43:12
1903 John Lorden Massachusetts 2:41:29
1904 Michael Spring New York 2:38:04
1905 Frederick Lorz New York 2:38:25
1906 Tim Ford Massachusetts 2:45:45
1907 Thomas Longboat Canada 2:24:24
1908 Thomas Morrissey New York 2:25:43
1909 Henri Renaud New Hampshire 2:53:36
1910 Fred Cameron Canada 2:28:52
1911 Clarence DeMar Massachusetts 2:21:39
1912 Michael Ryan New York 2:21:18
1913 Fritz Carlson Minnesota 2:25:14
1914 James Duffy Canada 2:25:01
1915 Edouard Fabre Canada 2:31:41
1916 Arthur Roth Massachusetts 2:27:16
1917 Bill Kennedy New York 2:28:37
1918 Military Relay Camp Devens 2:29:53
1919 Carl Linder Massachusetts 2:29:13
1920 Peter Trivoulides New York 2:29:31
1921 Frank Zuna New York 2:18:57
1922 Clarence DeMar Massachusetts 2:18:10
1923 Clarence DeMar Massachusetts 2:23:47
1924 Clarence DeMar Massachusetts 2:29:40
1925 Charles Mellor Illinois 2:33:00
1926 John C. Miles Canada 2:25:40
1927 Clarence DeMar Massachusetts 2:40:22
1928 Clarence DeMar Massachusetts 2:37:07
1929 John C. Miles Canada 2:33:08
1930 Clarence DeMar Massachusetts 2:34:48
1931 James P. Henigan Massachusetts 2:46:45
1932 Paul DeBruyn Germany 2:33:36
1933 Leslie S. Pawson Rhode Island 2:31:01
1934 Dave Komonen Canada 2:32:53
1935 John A. Kelley Massachusetts 2:32:07
1936 Ellison M. Brown Rhode Island 2:33:40
1937 Walter Young Canada 2:33:20
1938 Leslie S. Pawson Rhode Island 2:35:34
1939 Ellison M. Brown Rhode Island 2:28:51
1940 Gerard Cote Canada 2:28:28
1941 Leslie S. Pawson Rhode Island 2:30:38
1942 Joe Smith Massachusetts 2:26:51
1943 Gerard Cote Canada 2:28:25
1944 Gerard Cote Canada 2:31:50
1945 John A. Kelley Massachusetts 2:30:40
1946 Stylianos Kyriakides Greece 2:29:27
1947 Yun Bok Suh Korea 2:25:39
1948 Gerard Cote Canada 2:31:02
1949 Karl Leandersson Sweden 2:31:50
1950 Kee Yong Ham Korea 2:32:39
1951 Shigeki Tanaka Japan 2:27:45
1952 Doroteo Flores Guatamela 2:31:53
1953 Keizo Yamada Japan 2:18:51
1954 Veikko Karvonen Finland 2:20:39
1955 Hideo Hamamura Japan 2:18:22
1956 Antti Viskari Finland 2:14:14
1957 John J. Kelley Connecticut 2:20:05
1958 Franjo Mihalic Yugoslavia 2:25:54
1959 Eino Oksanen Finland 2:22:42
1960 Paavo Kotila Finland 2:20:54
1961 Eino Oksanen Finland 2:23:39
1962 Eino Oksanen Finland 2:23:48
1963 Aurele Vandendriessche Belgium 2:18:58
1964 Aurele Vandendriessche Belgium 2:19:59
1965 Morio Shigematsu Japan 2:16:33
1966 Kenji Kemihara Japan 2:17:11
1967 David McKenzie New Zealand 2:15:45
1968 Amby Burfoot Connecticut 2:22:17
1969 Yoshiaki Unetani Japan 2:13:49
1970 Ron Hill Great Britain 2:10:30
1971 Alvaro Mejia Colombia 2:18:45
1972 Olavi Suomalainen Finland 2:15:39
1973 Jon Anderson Oregon 2:16:03
1974 Neil Cusack Ireland 2:13:39
1975 Bill Rodgers Massachusetts 2:09:55
1976 Jack Fultz Virginia 2:20:19
1977 Jerome Drayton Canada 2:14:46
1978 Bill Rodgers Massachusetts 2:10:13
1979 Bill Rodgers Massachusetts 2:09:27
1980 Bill Rodgers Massachusetts 2:12:11
1981 Toshihiko Seko Japan 2:09:26
1982 Alberto Salazar Massachusetts 2:08:52
1983 Greg Meyer Massachusetts 2:09:00
1984 Geoff Smith Great Britain 2:10:34
1985 Geoff Smith Great Britain 2:14:05
1986 Robert de Castella Australia 2:07:51
1987 Toshihiko Seko Japan 2:11:50
1988 Ibrahim Hussein Kenya 2:08:43
1989 Abebe Mekonnen Ethiopia 2:09:06
1990 Gelindo Bordin Italy 2:08:19
1991 Ibrahim Hussein Kenya 2:11:06
1992 Ibrahim Hussein Kenya 2:08:14
1993 Cosmas Ndeti Kenya 2:09:33
1994 Cosmas Ndeti Kenya 2:07:15
1995 Cosmas Ndeti Kenya 2:09:22
1996 Moses Tanui Kenya 2:09:15
1997 Lameck Aguta Kenya 2:10:34
1998 Moses Tanui Kenya 2:07:34
1999 Joseph Chebet Kenya 2:09:52
2000 Elijah Lagat Kenya 2:09:47
2001 Lee Bong-Ju South Korea 2:09:43
2002 Rodgers Rop Kenya 2:09:02
2003 Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot Kenya 2:10:11
2004 Timothy Cherigat Kenya 2:10:37
2005 Hailu Negussie Ethiopia 2:11:45
2006 Robert Cheruiyot Kenya 2:07:14
2007 Robert Cheruiyot Kenya 2:07:13
2008 Robert Cheruiyot Kenya 2:07:45
WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONS
1966 Roberta Gibb (unofficial) Massachusetts 3:21:40
1967 Roberta Gibb (unofficial) California 3:27:17
1968 Roberta Gibb (unofficial) California 3:30:00
1969 Sara Mae Berman (unofficial) Massachusetts 3:22:46
1970 Sara Mae Berman (unofficial) Massachusetts 3:05:07
1971 Sara Mae Berman (unofficial) Massachusetts 3:08:30
1972 Nina Kuscsik New York 3:10:26
1973 Jacqueline Hansen California 3:05:59
1974 Michiko Gorman California 2:47:11
1975 Liane Winter West Germany 2:42:24
1976 Kim Merritt Wisconsin 2:47:10
1977 Michiko Gorman California 2:48:33
1978 Gayle S. Barron Georgia 2:44:52
1979 Joan Benoit Maine 2:35:15
1980 Jacqueline Gareau Canada 2:34:28
1981 Allison Roe New Zealand 2:26:46
1982 Charlotte Teske West Germany 2:29:33
1983 Joan Benoit Massachusetts 2:22:43
1984 Lorraine Moller New Zealand 2:29.28
1985 Lisa Larsen Weidenbach Michigan 2:34.06
1986 Ingrid Kristiansen Norway 2:24:55
1987 Rosa Mota Portugal 2:25:21
1988 Rosa Mota Portugal 2:24:30
1989 Ingrid Kristiansen Norway 2:24:33
1990 Rosa Mota Portugal 2:25:24
1991 Wanda Panfil Poland 2:24:18
1992 Olga Markova CIS 2:23:43
1993 Olga Markova CIS 2:25:27
1994 Uta Pippig Germany 2:21:45
1995 Uta Pippig Germany 2:25:11
1996 Uta Pippig Germany 2:27:12
1997 Fatuma Roba Ethiopia 2:26:23
1998 Fatuma Roba Ethiopia 2:23:21
1999 Fatuma Roba Ethiopia 2:23:25
2000 Catherine Ndereba Kenya 2:26:11
2001 Catherine Ndereba Kenya 2:23:53
2002 Margaret Okayo Kenya 2:20:43
2003 Svetlana Zakharova Russia 2:25:20
2004 Catherine Ndereba Kenya 2:24:27
2005 Catherine Ndereba Kenya 2:25:13
2006 Rita Jeptoo Kenya 2:23:38
2007 Lidiya Grigoryeva Russia 2:29:18
2008 Dire Tune Ethiopia 2:25:25 (unofficial)
MEN'S WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONS
1975 Robert Hall Massachusetts 2:58:00
1976 No contestants
1977 Robert Hall Massachusetts 2:40:10
1978 George Murray Florida 2:26:57
1979 Ken Archer Ohio 2:38:59
1980 Curt Brinkman Utah 1:55:00
1981 Jim Martinson Washington 2:00:41
1982 Jim Knaub California 1:51:31
1983 Jim Knaub California 1:47:10
1984 Andre Viger Canada 2:05:20
1985 George Murray Florida 1:45:34
1986 Andre Viger Canada 1:43:25
1987 Andre Viger Canada 1:55:42
1988 Mustapha Badid France 1:43:19
1989 Philippe Couprie France 1:36:04
1990 Mustapha Badid France 1:29:53
1991 Jim Knaub California 1:30:44
1992 Jim Knaub California 1:26:28
1993 Jim Knaub California 1:22:17
1994 Heinz Frei Switzerland 1:21:23
1995 Franz Nietlispach Switzerland 1:25:59
1996 Heinz Frei Switzerland 1:30:14
1997 Franz Nietlispach Switzerland 1:28:14
1998 Franz Nietlispach Switzerland 1:21:52
1999 Franz Nietlispach Switzerland 1:21:36
2000 Franz Nietlispach Switzerland 1:33:32
2001 Ernst Van Dyk South Africa 1:25:12
2002 Ernst Van Dyk South Africa 1:23:19
2003 Ernst Van Dyk South Africa 1:28:32
2004 Ernst Van Dyk South Africa 1:18:27
2005 Ernst Van Dyk South Africa 1:24:11
2006 Ernst Van Dyk South Africa 1:25:29
2007 Masazumi Soejima Japan 1:29:16
2008 Ernst Van Dyk South Africa 1:26:49 (unofficial)
WOMEN'S WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONS
1977 Sharon Rahn Illinois 3:48:51
1978 Susan Shapiro California 3:52:35
1979 Sheryl Bair California 3:27:56
1980 Sharon Limpert Minnesota 2:49:04
1981 Candace Cable-Brookes Nevada 2:38:41
1982 Candace Cable-Brookes Nevada 2:12:43
1983 Sherry Ramsey Colorado 2:27:07
1984 Sherry Ramsey Colorado 2:56:51
1985 Candace Cable-Brookes California 2:05:26
1986 Candace Cable-Brookes California 2:09:28
1987 Candace Cable-Brookes California 2:19:55
1988 Candace Cable-Brookes California 2:10:44
1989 Connie Hansen Denmark 1:50:06
1990 Jean Driscoll Illinois 1:43:17
1991 Jean Driscoll Illinois 1:42:42
1992 Jean Driscoll Illinois 1:36:52
1993 Jean Driscoll Illinois 1:34:50
1994 Jean Driscoll Illinois 1:34:22
1995 Jean Driscoll Illinois 1:40:42
1996 Jean Driscoll Illinois 1:52:56
1997 Louise Sauvage Australia 1:54:28
1998 Louise Sauvage Australia 1:41:19
1999 Louise Sauvage Australia 1:42:23
2000 Jean Driscoll Illinois 2:00:52
2001 Louise Sauvage Australia 1:53:54
2002 Edith Hunkeler Switzerland 1:45:57
2003 Christina Ripp Illinois 1:54:47
2004 Cheri Blauwet California 1:39:53
2005 Cheri Blauwet California 1:47:45
2006 Edith Hunkeler Switzerland 1:43:41
2007 Wakako Tsuchida Japan 1:53:30
2008 Wakako Tsuchida Japan 1:48:32 (unofficial)