Ethiopians Sweep Boston Marathon

First ever sweep in Beantown
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 18, 2016 11:55 AM CDT
Ethiopians Sweep Boston Marathon
Boston Police officers walk across the finish line before the 120th Boston Marathon on Monday in Boston.   (Elise Amendola)

Lemi Berhanu Hayle of Ethiopia has won the Boston Marathon in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, 45 seconds, as fellow Ethiopian Atsede Baysa won the women's race in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 29 minutes, 19 seconds. The 21-year-old Hayle pulled away from defending champion Lelisa Desisa as they crossed the Mass Pike heading into Kenmore Square, reports the AP. The victory completed Ethiopia's first-ever sweep of the men's and women's races in Boston. It was Hayle's first major marathon victory. He has run four smaller marathons since 2014, winning three and finishing second in Dubai in January. Desisa finished 47 seconds back in second place, and Ethiopian Yemane Adhane Tsegay was third to complete a sweep of the podium.

The 29-year-old Baysa, a two-time Chicago Marathon winner, came from 37 seconds behind with less than 5 miles to go and passed fellow Ethiopian Tirfi Tsegaye with 2 miles left. Tsegaye was 44 seconds back. Defending women's champion Carolina Rotich dropped out in the first 5 miles. Tatyana McFadden won the women's wheelchair race, earning her fourth victory in a row. McFadden completed the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Copley Square in an official time of 1 hour, 42 minutes, 16 seconds. That's 8:10 behind the record pace because of a headwind. Switzerland's Marcel Hug won his second straight men's wheelchair title, crossing the finish line in 1 hour, 24 minutes, 1 second, which was just 5:36 off the course and world record. (More Boston Marathon stories.)

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