Meb Keflezighi became the first American man to win the Boston Marathon since 1983 on Monday, as the city marked its first marathon since the 2013 bombings.
Keflezighi is an immigrant from Eritrea, a war-torn African country, notes The New York Times. His family fled the country in the mid 1980s and moved to Italy, before settling in San Diego. In 2009, he was the first American man to win the New York City marathon since 1982.
According to Boston.com, Keflezighi finished the marathon in 2:08:37, just ahead of Kenya’s Wilson Chebet, who had a time of 2:08:48. Frankline Chepkwony came in third with 2:08:50.
Rita Jeptoo set a women’s record, finishing the race in 2:18:57.
This was the first marathon since the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, which killed three people and left over 260 people injured. While the attack crushed the excitement a year ago, today has turned out to be a beautiful Patriots Day. Over 30,000 runners started the marathon and a record 1 million spectators were expected today.
Boston.com reports that Ernst Van Dyk has won the men’s wheelchair division, while Tatyana McFadden won the women’s wheelchair division.