Courtesy images and video available here; credit Boston Athletic Association
BOSTON (13-April) — An event record, the largest field in history and a sister act got Boston Marathon weekend off to a rousing start, with the Boston 5K presented by Point32Health and the B.A.A. Invitational Mile kicking off race action on Saturday morning.
Under partly cloudy skies and perfect spring temperatures, 9,165 runners crossed the 5K finish line along Boston Common – the most since the 3.1-mile event was launched in 2009. Leading the way with a victory in the men’s open race was American Cooper Teare in 13:38, with Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay setting an event record for the women when she broke the tape in 14:45, four seconds faster than countrywoman Senbere Teferi ran in her 2022 win.
Winning in the wheelchair division were six-time Boston Marathon champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland (10:18) and Eden Rainbow Cooper of Great Britain (12:04). Both will be racing again on Monday.
In the men’s open, Mexico’s Eduardo Herrera had about 10 meters on a small pack with about 800 meters to go when the 22-year-old Teare began his move.
“I made the decision to try to go get him, so slowly I kind of ramped it up, went through the gears, and caught him by the turn,” said Teare, referring to the corner on Charles Street between the Boston Common and Public Garden. “I just tried to power off the turn and not look back.”
Teare, the 2021 NCAA Champion at 5000 meters and 2022 USATF Champion at 1500 meters, called the environment “insane. It was really fun to bring it home and have the crowd behind me. Hopefully, maybe a couple years down the line I’ll be here racing Monday instead of Saturday.”
For the 26-year-old Tesfay, it was a return to Boston after her victory in the Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund last November.
"I came to break the course record," Tesfay said through a translator, explaining why she took off fast right from the start, leading wire-to-wire. "I did, and I'm so happy." She said the Boston Marathon is “definitely” in her future. The top American woman was Annie Rodenfels, running on home turf as a member of the B.A.A. High Performance Team.
“It was such a strong field, and it really showed with just the immediate fast pace from the gun.,” said the reigning USATF 5K Champion. “The crowds were amazing, as always, and it’s always an especially fun experience racing it while wearing the B.A.A. kit because you get so many cheers. It’s definitely my favorite 5K of the year.”
Among other notable finishers were Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (24:05); three-time Boston Marathon Champion Uta Pippig (22:45); two-time Olympian Kara Goucher, who finished third in the 2009 Boston Marathon (18:50); and Yana Stepanenko, a 12-year-old double amputee injured during the war in Ukraine (1:05:24). A pending age-group world record was set for the 65-69 division, as 65-year-old Synove Brox ran 19:46.
Among top men’s Para Athletes were El Amin Chentouf (T11-T12, visually impairment) in 17:25; Atsbha Gebremeskel (T45/T46, upper-limb impairment); Marko Cheseto Lemtukei (T42-T44/T61-T64, lower limb impairment) in 18:13; Cory Gardner (T35-T38, coordination impairment) in 28:20. Jennifer Herring (T11-T13; 21:36); Meghan Bradshaw (T42-T44/T61-T64, 25:02); Adrienne Keane (T45/T46, 31:02); Rhonda Foulds (T35-T38; 36:28); and were fastest women’s Para Athletics Division finishers. Miche Palmer completed the course fastest among non-binary entrants in 18:38.
In the professional races of the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, it was a great day for the Americans, with Krissy Gear repeating as champion for the women and Casey Comber moving up one spot from his runner-up finish in 2023. Comber, the 2023 Pan American Games bronze medalist at 1500 meters, triumphed this year in 4:07 after taking some lessons from last year.
“I just knew that when somebody took it out in the lead, I couldn’t let him get too far away, and then I needed to kind of time the move right,” said Comber, who had watched Great Britain’s Henry McLuckie build a 4-second lead over the first two laps of the three-lap Back Bay course. “With two turns to go I was exactly where I wanted to be because I knew it was really hard to pass after that.”
Gear crossed the line in 4:43 to defend her title against a strong late surge by Sweden’s indoor mile record-holder Yolanda Ngarambe, who runs for Atlanta Track Club. Last year, the 24-year-old Gear came here largely unknown. This time, it was a different story – she not only won here but later last year became USATF steeplechase champion – so she knew she couldn’t come in and pull off a “sneak attack.” Instead, she relished the opportunity for growth.
“I want to show up … whether everyone’s after me or no one has any idea who I am,” she said.
In the B.A.A. Scholastic Miles, which consist of two high school athletes from each of the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon course – Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston – Eli Merritt of Wellesley won for the boys in 4:36, with Sasha Lamakina of Framingham taking the girls race in 5:22.
Finishing second and third for the boys were Liam Sakakeeny (Newton) and Colin Fisher (Boston); for the girls, it was Audrey Seeger (Brookline) and Rachel Newman (Newton).
The Middle School 1K was won by Matthew Fitzgibbons of Hopkinton in 3:08 and Daria Lamakina – sister of high school winner Sasha – in 3:18.
Results from today’s 5K can be found here, while results from the Invitational Mile can be found here.
NEXT GENERATION SET TO RACE AT B.A.A. RELAY CHALLENGE
Middle schools and youth programs from around Greater Boston will gather tomorrow, Sunday, April 14, at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall Plaza for the B.A.A. Relay Challenge. In the culmination of a month-long program taught by volunteer coaches, the relay challenge featured students racing in relays and learning running tips from B.A.A. athletes and coaches. Media are welcome to attend this fun youth event.
ADDITIONAL EVENTS ON SUNDAY, APRIL 14
Bank of America Boston Marathon Expo | Hynes Convention Center
Sunday, April 14 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Boston Marathon Fan Fest presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods | City Hall Plaza
Sunday, April 14 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Samuel Adams Run Pub | City Hall Plaza
Sunday, April 14 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Credential Pick-Up: Media credential pick-up will occur within the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel’s State Suite within the following hours: Sunday, April 14 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
All media members will be required to agree to the Boston Marathon News & Media Access Guidelines upon picking up credentials.
Boston Marathon Media Resources (Media Guide / Professional Athlete Bios / Uniform Guide)
The B.A.A. encourages media to frequently visit our Boston Marathon Media Resources page (https://bstnmar.org/Media) for up-to-date start lists, links, and information. This year’s Media Guide, Uniform Guide, Participant Guide, Official Program, start lists, splits, transcripts, and results will be available within the Media Resources page.
ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The 128th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 15, 2024. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.