The first-ever Boston Marathon started in 1897 and has been annually run since. The 129-year-old Boston Marathon, currently the oldest annual marathon, is held on Patriots Day. This marathon course is legendary and because of the hype around this course, it is one of the only marathons which requires the athlete to qualify. The race hosts over 30,000 runners to run through the hilly, tough course in the streets of Boston.
The racing conditions on the day were nearly perfect, with the start being at a cool 51 degrees and developing to a high of 54 degrees. The day was also very cloudy which was perfect for the runners because the sun often drains their energy. Their energy being slowly drained by the sun would not be good considering they still had to run 26.2 miles. These conditions led to the optimal performance of each of the runners. The average athlete finished in a good time because of the great conditions. The average time it took an athlete to finish the Boston Marathon was 3 hours 53 minutes and 4 seconds. This is an 8:53 pace per mile, which is great for the long distance. The average time for these runners was way faster than comparative marathons because of the level of entree needed to qualify.
The performance of the American runners was impressive, to say the least. Conner Mantz, a skilled athlete who competed in division 1 running at BYU, just came off a personal half marathon best and new American record at the Houston Half Marathon. His intense training prepared him to run a great marathon and obtain a certain PR. Conner stayed with the head pack during this race and continued to strive towards the finish. Eventually, the top African runners made their move and picked up their pace, dropping the rest of the field. Mantz finished 4th overall with a time of 2:05:08. The pace is a blistering 4:47 per mile. Another American runner named Clayton Young, Conner Mantz’s best friend and training partner, finished within the top 10, placing 7 overall. Young finished with a 2:07:04 which is an average pace of 4:50 per mile. Overall the American runners exceeded expectations and deserve a well-needed break.
The performance of the Women’s runners are the actual stars of the show. Sharon Lokedi of Kenya out-performed the whole women’s field and obliterated the women’s course record of 2:17:22. This is a pace of a 5:16 mile which led to the course record getting broken by more than 2 minutes.
Overall, this year’s Boston Marathon had one of the most packed fields. Athletes from the men’s and women’s sides both did incredible. The entire field of Boston completed a fast marathon which led to the breaking of several records. The importance of the Boston Marathon will continue to go on and the course record and more PRs will be broken.
