Memorable Boston Marathon Today As Kenyans Win And Beach Goes for 50

Kenyans took back control of the Boston Marathon today as Geoffrey Kirui won on the men’s side and Edna Kiplagat outpaced the women. American Galen Rupp was in a tight race with Kirui and Suguru Osako until Kirui pulled away around mile 23 when he put up a blistering 4:27 mile, the fastest of the day, and leaving Rupp to take second place. For Kipligat, this was her first Boston Marathon despite being an elite marathoner for nearly a decade and she blew away the field after the halfway point of the race.

Today’s race also marks the 50th consecutive marathon for my good friend Ben Beach, the first to do so and just an amazing accomplishment. The Boston Red Sox honored both Ben and Katherine Switzer, the first woman to break the brutal sexist barriers put up by Boston organizers and male runners and officially compete in the marathon 50 years ago, by having them both throw out the first pitch out at Fenway Park yesterday.

Ben is still out there running as I write this and needs to finish within the 6 hour time limit to have the streak be officially recognized. The last few years have been tough for Ben as he fights dystonia which causes involuntary movements in his calf and other muscles, making mileage training difficult. His most recent finishes have been 5 hours plus and hopefully the warmer temperatures today won’t slow him down too much. If Ben can keep on going for a few more years, he will eclipse the legendary Johnny Kelley’s 58 Boston finishes.

Ben and his lovely wife Carol also host an incredible tailgate at the annual Harvard-Yale football game, where Carol makes the tastiest sausages (affectionately known as “Bulldog tails”), and have been doing that for nearly as long as Ben’s marathon streak. As Ben admits, “I’m sort of a creature of habit.”

Keep on truckin’, Ben!!

UPDATE: Well, Ben did it, finishing his 50th consecutive Boston Marathon in a fantastic time of 5:01:26!  Here is Ben (the silver streak) heading down the home stretch: