- Published: Apr 15, 2019 12:00 PM EDT Boston Marathon since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books Jordan Hasay April Marathons for Runners Shut Out of Boston.
- A Part of Hearst Digital Media finished fifth with a time of 2:27:00.
Worknesh Degefa, a 28-year-old from Assela, Ethiopia, took the lead in the fourth mile of the Boston Marathon, opened up a gap that reached almost three minutes at mile 18, and pushed all the way to Boylston Street on her own.
She won in 2:23:31. Edna Kiplagat of Kenya, who managed to cut Degefa’s lead down to 42 seconds over the final miles, was second in 2:24:13. American Jordan Hasay, 27, was third, in 2:25:20.
Degefa’s strategy seemed risky, given her previous marathon experience. Although she is the fourth-fastest woman in marathon history, with a PR of 2:17:41 she ran in January at the Dubai Marathon, she had raced the 26.2-mile distance only three times before. And all those marathons were in Dubai, a perfectly flat course. On a warm and humid day, would her blazing speed hold up through the hills of Newton?
The strategy paid off, as Degefa didn’t let up through Heartbreak Hill, although she began glancing at her watch and looking frequently behind her. “If I stayed longer to the finish, I might not make it,” she said through a translator after the race when asked about her strategy. “I knew that they had some speed, so I pushed myself in the fourth mile.”
[Shoes & Gear Runner’s World Training Plan, designed for any speed and any distance.]
A pack of 12 women, including four past Boston Marathon champions, stayed together through the half marathon, before stringing out through the hills.
In the 22nd mile, Kiplagat, 39, the 2017 Boston champion, made a decisive move into second place and to try to catch Degefa. Although she chipped away at Degefa’s lead, she ran out of real estate to challenge for the win.
“If we keep increasing the pace, we might reach her before the finish line,” Kiplagat said she was thinking in the early miles. “When I was at the T [about mile 23], I realized, the race is almost over. I knew I’m not going to [catch] her. I was going to be second.”
from the U.S., who came in third in 2:27:00, putting Americans in third and fifth, and Hasay said Linden gave her a little advice early on.
“I’m still learning, so I got a little anxious when the three women went so early on. It was nice when we caught the second two,” Hasay said of the early jockeying. “At one point, Des said, ‘There’s a long race to go; just be patient.’I still get anxious with all the different surges.”
Hasay was happy with her performance, after missing all of 2018 with injuries. “This is still only my third marathon,” Hasay said. “I was just grateful to be back out there after being out all last year with a stress fracture in my foot.”
Linden, too, was happy with the result, even though she said she experienced rough patches, and the early racing tactics were somewhat surprising.
“I’m super proud of how I run here,” she said. “I love this course, I love this city. I always come in and give everything I have. Today that was fifth. I’m proud of that. When I do decide to walk away, this will feel like my home course.”
Published: Apr 15, 2019 12:00 PM EDT.
Amazing Highlights From 2019 Boston Marathon is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
