|
 Keflezighi, who was born in Eritrea but is now a U.S. citizen,
pulled ahead of a pack of elite African runners a little more than
halfway into the race and held off a late challenge by Kenya's
Wilson Chebet to finish in two hours, eight minutes and 37 seconds.
Among the women, Kenya's Rita Jeptoo notched her second consecutive
win of the race, smashing a 12-year course record with a blistering
time of two hours, 18 minutes and 57 seconds, reeling in American
Shalane Flanagan, who had set a punishing pace as she led the women
for the first 20 miles of the 26.2-mile (42.2-km) race.
"This is probably the most meaningful victory for an American, just
because of what happened here last year," Keflezighi told reporters
after his win. "Up till now I'd say my career was 99.9 percent
fulfilled. Today I'd say it is 110 percent fulfilled."
Noting that the Boston Red Sox's World Series championship last year
had lifted the city's spirits, he added that he wanted to provide a
similar boost: "When the Red Sox did it, I said, 'I want to do it
for Boston.'"
Flanagan, who finished seventh, said she had decided to run this
year's race immediately after last year's attack.
"I just wanted to send a message that I was not afraid to be back
here and I was not afraid to be a part of this day," said Flanagan,
who vowed to return next year, and to keep returning until she
notched a victory.
Last year, three people, including an 8-year-old boy, were killed
and 264 were hurt when, prosecutors say, a pair of ethnic Chechen
brothers left homemade bombs at the crowded finish line, tearing
through the crowd.
"SYMBOLIC" VICTORY
Fans had packed the course, waving American flags and wearing
T-shirts bearing the "Boston Strong" motto the city adopted as a
rallying cry after last year's attack. Their screams grew deafening
as Keflezighi tore through the final miles.
"It is very symbolic that an American won this race today one year
after the bombing," said Veronica Carroll, who had traveled from New
Jersey to watch her husband run. "It represents the strength of our
country."
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Some 35,755 runners from 96 countries competed in the second-largest
field in history for the 118th running of the Boston Marathon.
Among the women runners, Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia was second and
compatriot Mare Dibaba third. They too turned in faster performances
than the previous course record of 2:20:43 set in 2002 by Margaret
Okayno of Kenya.
Among the male runners, Wilson Chebet of Kenya finished second and
Frankline Chepkwony, also of Kenya, was third.
Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa, last year's winner, did not finish, race
officials said.
No American athlete has stood atop the podium on Boston's Boylston
Street, not far from the site of last year's bombing, since 1985
when Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach of Michigan won the women's race. The
drought has been longer for U.S. men: Greg Meyer of Massachusetts
won in 1983.
Race organizers expanded the field by some 9,000 runners this year,
to allow the roughly 5,000 athletes who had been left on the course
last year when the twin pressure-cooker bombs went off near the
finish line another chance to compete.
One of the two brothers who are accused of the bombing died after a
shootout with police a few days after the blasts while the other,
20-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is awaiting trial. If convicted, he
may face execution.
(Reporting by Scott Malone; editing by Bernard Orr, Sofina
Mirza-Reid and Jonathan Oatis)
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