Boston Marathon 2009 - As It Happens

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Refresh this page every few minutes to see the latest updates. We'll have all of the updates for all races on this one page - trying to make it as easy as possible for our readers to see what's happening.

Note, as you read these reports, they will appear in reverse chronological order. Newest updates will be at the top of each section.

Men's Race | Women's Race | Wheelchair Races

Overview
Why do we love the Boston Marathon? Because at 113 years old, this is the original marathon - and it's the one that almost anyone can get into, but only if you are serious about your running. For the elite athletes, the history and appeal of the Boston Marathon is the same as for everyone else - it's about the tradition AND the great races that are held here.

History for 2009? We'll report and we'll see. For the first time in 24 years, Americans have a chance to win their own marathon. Ryan Hall and Kara Goucher - with all eyes on them, can they do it? Can Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot capture his fourth in a row and fifth overall Boston title? There are many stories and scenarios we could create - but here we'll wait and report on things as they happen.

Excellent Weather!: 46 degrees at the start, but a relatively fierce head wind of 13 to 15 miles per hour. We'll see how this affects the race. We can't wait to see how the day unfolds.

Men's Race back to top

The Finish: Merga wins the 2009 Boston Marathon. Daniel Rono takes second in 2:09:31. Ryan Hall finishes third in 2:09:40. For Merga, this is redemption after dropping out of the Boston Marathon in 2005, after faltering at the Olympics - Merga has now made good...
Deribe Merga 2:08:42
Daniel Rono 2:09:32
Ryan Hall 2:09:40
Tekeste Kebede 2:09:49
Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot 2:10:06

26 miles (2:08:41) - Merga is alone. Behind Merga we see Daniel Rono coming next with a hard-charging Ryan Hall having lost his competition. This will be it - one, two, three.

24 miles (1:57:15), 25 miles (2:02:10) - Merga continues in the lead - he will have this marathon...

23 miles (1:52:34) - Merga ran 4:55 for the last mile - he is holding on just fine, for now...

22 miles (1:47:39) - Merga seems to be having a bit of trouble, but just a bit. We'll give it a 50-50 chance that Merga will hold on. Twenty seconds back is Daniel Rono. Five seconds behind Rono are Ryan Hall and Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot...

20 miles (1:37:38), 21 miles (1:42:50) - Merga is getting more and more distance on the others. He looks at his watch - checking whether he is on his schedule... We'll remember Merga running out of steam at the Olympics and losing his chance for a bronze medal in just the final yards - can he hang on? And, if Merga falls back, will Hall - who is now 40 seconds back in third place... - will Hall catch Merga? And finally, will the men catch the women who are only one mile ahead?

30K (1:30:59), 19 miles (1:32:42) - Merga is putting more separation between himself and Rono. Rono looks to be struggling in second place. Ryan Hall looks to have recovered somewhat but is far back in third place, up from sixth... The men are now approaching heartbreak hill.

18 miles (1:27:56) - This is now a race. With two men in contention - at least that's what it appears to be, but - as we know - a marathon has barely started at mile 18 and anything can happen. The two men: Deribe Merga is leading and Daniel Rono is just with him. From speaking to Merga before the race, we know he REALLY wants this win. But is this too fast? Is he really capable of doing this? The men are on the hills.

16 miles (1:18:12), 17 miles (1:23:01) - Merga has now taken the lead with Solomon Molla and also Daniel Rono. They are about three seconds ahead of the next pack. Ryan Hall seems to be falling back behind the second pack and in the 9th spot - he looks like he will be out of it.

15 miles (1:13:25), 25K (1:16:08) - Stephen Kiogora pushes away from the pack and Timothy Cherigat goes with him. They are getting away...

13 miles (1:03:05), Half Marathon (1:03:39), 14 miles (1:08:22) - Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot has been rubbing his leg, we're not sure what that means, but we'll remember that he was out for seven months with a thigh injury - he looks worried. Ryan Hall is in the middle of the pack, which remains at 12 men.

11 miles (53:17), 12 miles (58:08) - Deribe Merga has started to push the pace and is getting a bit away from the rest - but let's remember that Merga DNF'd on his last visit to the Boston Marathon... Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot seems to keep looking back over his shoulder, what can that mean? Ryan Hall is sitting in the middle of the pack. We're getting reports that the wind has been picking up - we'll guess this is what has slowed the pace.

10 miles (48:07). Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot's record split at 10 miles in 2006 was exactly the same as the current year's pace - the men are now running more reasonable splits... Gashaw Asfaw is setting the pace and leading the pace of 12.

8 miles (38:16), 9 miles (43:10), 15K (44:45) - The men are only 6 seconds ahead of the record splits at this point - they're coming back to earth a bit. Ryan Hall has stepped back from leading - he has been doing too much of the work and is now letting some others lead. Deribe Merga takes the lead at first, then Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot steps up to take the lead.

7 miles (33:21) - The group is still 30 seconds ahead of the splits when Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot set his record in 2006. Note, that on that record run, Cheruiyot slowed in the second half significantly to set the record by just one second. If this group can continue as they are going, we might see a real new record - by an American at that?

6 miles (28:27), 10K (29:28) - Hall is still pushing this pace. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot is just behind, followed immediately by Deribe Merga and the same group of 13 we reported on previously.

5 miles (23:38) - Hall continues to lead, he is pounding this out.

4 miles (18:49) - Ryan Hall has dropped to the back of the pack - something looks wrong. He looks to be struggling, but then... he runs back to the lead.

3 miles (14:05), 5K (14:33). Wow - 15:21 was Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot's 5K split when he set the course record in 2006 - these guys are smashing that... Ryan Hall (USA) continues to lead and just behind are Gashaw Asfaw (ETH), Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (KEN), Tekeste Kebede (ETH), Deriba Merga (ETH), Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (KEN), Solomon Molla (ETH), Daniel Rono (ETH), James Kosgei (KEN), Stephen Kiogora (KEN), Timothy Cherigat (KEN), Evans Cheruiyot (KEN).

2 mile (9:20ish). The pack has all taken water just after Ryan Hall took water and most of the others have as well - this is not at the special tables for the elite athletes, but regular water from the hands of the volunteers.

1 Mile (4:40) - that is fast, fast, fast. Ryan Hall is pounding this race and the pack is already spread out. Thirteen men are in the group, far from anyone else.

The men's race has started! From the first step, Ryan Hall has jumped to the lead - he is moving! The start is downhill and Hall likes to run downhill. Just 1:45 into the run, Hall looks back to see what the others are doing - it looks like he is just testing the others. Gashaw Asfaw of Ethiopia is a bit behind. Hall slows a bit to let the others come up to him, then picks it up again - he is signalling to the others that he is strong today. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot is in third position. 2:50 for the first 1K.

Women's Race back to top

The Finish: Kosgei and Tune continue to trade off the lead - one gets ahead and then the other and then the other and then... Salina Kosgei wins the 2009 Boston Marathon in 2:32:16 - ironically, the slowest finishing time since 1985, the last year an American won the Boston Marathon. Dire Tune, after winning in a sprint in 2008, loses in a sprint in 2009 to finish second in 2:32:17. Kara Goucher takes the third spot in 2:32:25.
Salina Kosgei 2:32:16
Dire Tune 2:32:17
Kara Goucher 2:32:25
Bezunesh Bekele 2:33:08
Helena Kirop 2:33:24

26 miles: Dire Tune puts in a surge to test the others and Goucher starts to fall back. It is down to a two woman race: Dire Tune and Salina Kosgei running side by side the race could go either way. The only thing for sure is that Goucher will finish third.

25 miles (2:25:56) - The race is down to three women. Goucher still leads, but Dire Tune remembers that she won in a sprint in 2008... Salina Kosgei is still there as well. This will go to the wire.

23 miles (2:15:29), 24 miles (2:20:38) - Goucher is now pushing the pace. Three runners are holding on and they ALL look good. Just a step behind Goucher is defending champion Dire Tune, Salina Kosgei and Bezunesh Bekele.

22 miles (2:10:09) - The women are past the hills, but all of the women made it through the hills. Kara seems to be picking up the pace and all of the others are in a line behind. Grigoryeva has fallen off the back of the pack.

21 miles (2:04:48), 35K (2:08:46). The women's pack is now down to seven women. Kara Goucher leads and seems to have control. Behind Goucher are Alice Timbilili, Dire Tune, Helena Kirop, Salina Kosgei, Bezunesh Bekele and Lidiya Grigoryiva.

30K (1:50:51), 19 miles (1:52:52), 20 miles (1:58:56). The women are on pace for a 2:36 marathon - that would be the slowest winning finish since 1978. We'll expect that the women will speed up at some point, but this is too slow.

18 miles (1:47:05) - Yet another mile slower than 6 minute pace... Kara Goucher is now running in the lead there.

17 miles (1:41:00) - The course still consistes of 11 women. Wow - did we read this right, the last mile for the women was 6:15? Ugh. The women are waiting for the hills? They are waiting for a mass sprint? What are they doing? Elva Dryer has caught back up to the pack.

15 miles (1:29:12), 25K (1:32:09), 16 miles (1:34:46) - Lidiya Grigoryeva has pulled all the way to the front, but then seems to fall back - she looks a bit tired. Colleen De Reuck is back into the pack and back in the front... Kara Goucher still looks good...

20K (1:14:13), 13 miles (1:17:29), Half Marathon (1:18:12), 14 miles (1:23:17) - Kara Goucher has moved to the front and is leading, Elfenesh Alemu comes to the front - the pace is still not terribly fast, but it is a bit more respectable than it has been. A few women have dropped back - Mary Akor, Elva Dryer, Colleen De Reuck are off the pack.

11 miles (1:05:47), 12 miles (1:11:47). The field remains about the same - we count 17 women. The race hasn't really begun yet, this is the warmup...

9 miles (53:47), 15K (55:39), 10 miles (59:47). Bezunesh Bekele has been spending some time in the front, as has Elva Dryer and Mary Akor - the women are six minutes behind the course record pace - this is slow... The pack is a bit big for us to see who is in it, but we can see these women: Dire Tune (ETH), Bezunesh Bekele (ETH), Salina Kosgei (KEN), Helena Kirop (KEN), Lidiya Grigoryeva (RUS), Atsede Hatamu (ETH), Kara Goucher (USA), Elva Dryer (USA), Elfenesh Alemu (ETH), Mary Akor (USA), Alina Ivanova (USA), Shuru Deriba (ETH), Alice Timilili (KEN), Adanech Zekiros (ETH). Only a few of these women deserve to be in the lead pack at mile 10 of the Boston Marathon...

7 miles (42:02), 8 miles (47:57) - the pace, at 5:50ish is still slow.

6 miles (35:50), 10K (37:05) - this is 3:20 slower than Okayo's record run in 2002. Very slow.

5 miles (29:59) - just better than six minute pace!?! This is not a time for a professional field. Let's go!

4 miles (24:07). Still 25 women in the pack - Dryer leads.

3Miles (18:22), 5K (18:59) - Elva Drer and Colleen De Reuck lead a pack of 22 runners. Goucher and Tune - the favorites - are hiding behind, out of the wind. No one really wants to push the pace yet. This reminds us of the Beijing Olympics Marathon where the field stayed large for most of the race.

2 miles in 12:28 (last mile in 6:00) - still slow :( Elva Dryer has moved near the front as well. At least there's some good TV time for the Americans.

First mile in 6:28. To put that in perspective, when Margaret Okayo set the course record in 2002 she ran 5:07 for the first mile - this is slow. Colleen De Reuck continues to lead, with Tomoe Yokoyama on her side, but this is a very, very leisurely pace. There are more than 30 women running together - this is slow.

The women's race has started. The women are running incredibly slowly - at least it appears that way. Colleen De Reuck is leading the pack - the favorites are all hiding behind the others, staying out of the wind.

Wheelchair Race back to top

Please note that wheelchair coverage is often spotty, but we'll have updates as we get them.

Ernst Van Dyk captures his 8th Boston Marathon title! Wakako Tsuchida repeats as women's champion.

10K (19:59) - Men: Ernst Van Dyk has extended his lead to 40 seconds. Masazumi Soejima is alone in second place for the moment, with the rest together in a paceline ten seconds behind.

5K (10:10) - Men: Ernst Van Dyk has a 25 second lead over Aaron Pike and nine others who are all working together... Women: Wakako Tsuchida is comfortable in the lead at 11:47, Shirley Reilly and Diane Roy are together behind in 11:51.

The Start: The wheelchair race has started. Ernst Van Dyk, of course, is the favorite and he takes the lead from the start. If Van Dyk wins, this will be his eighth victory and he will pass Clarence De Mar on the list of most wins at Boston.. Defending champion Wakako Tsuchida is the favorite on the women's side.

More Boston News:

Coverage Homepage
Post Race: Men's Race and Commentary | Women's Race and Commentary | Complete Searchable Results
Race Day: As It Happened - Our During-The-Race Commentary
Pre-Race: Race Preview | Elite Athlete Past Matchups | Press Releases | News
Athlete Bios: Americans | Defending Champions | Ones to Watch
Weekend Experience: Pace Calculator/Pace Guide | Course Experience As a Runner
Extras: Athlete/Course Videos | Boston Marathon Books | Course Map
Some Legends: Three Boston Marathon Legends | Boston Billy Rodgers