Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia won Monday’s Boston Marathon after being challenged most of the race by San Diego’s Meb Keflezighi, who finished eighth a year after taking the title.
Keflezighi led at the 30-kilometer mark (18.6 miles) of the 119th edition of the Patriots Day race. Fellow American Dathan Ritzenhein, in his Boston debut, led briefly.
“Meb is getting an incredible ovation,” said a finish-line race call at WBZ Radio.
Desisa won in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 17 seconds. After an earlier start, Caroline Rotich of Kenya won the women’s race in 2:24:55.
As he finished, Keflezighi held the hand of women’s elite finisher Hilary Dionne.
“She was shocked to see it was Meb who grabbed her hand,” said a comment posted on letsrun.com. “Her wide smile was a priceless moment.”
Facing a headwind on a rainy day, Keflezighi in a ballcap stayed part of a lead pack that included race favorite Desisa, 25 — who won the bombing-shattered 2013 race and returned his medal in a gesture toward victims.
Defending champion Keflezighi, who turns 40 in May, was in fourth at the 13.1-mile point in 1 hour, 4 minutes, 2 seconds — a second out of the lead. He was second at the 15.5-mile mark.
On the women’s side, Desiree Linden, who grew up in Chula Vista, finished fourth. Linden, whose maiden name is Davila, was a champion runner at Hilltop High School and now lives with her husband in Michigan. She placed second in the 2011 race.
Keflezighi, who attended San Diego High, made a splash at the finish line by grabbing and raising the hand of Dionne. The Boston resident later tweeted: “Not my best time, but by far my most memorable finish. Thanks amazing @runmeb for joining me across the line, an unforgettable moment!”
Keflezighi electrified the sports world last year by winning the event in the year following the bombings at the finish line that killed three and wounded 264 others.
— City News Service contributed to this report
