It was a marathon, but it ended in a sprint.
Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and 2021 New York Marathon winner, landed a third major crown in less than a year with a hard-fought victory in the Boston Marathon on Monday in 2 hours 21 minutes 2 seconds.
Jepchirchir had to fight off a spirited challenge from Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia, much better known as a half-marathoner.
Mary Ngugi of Kenya was third.
Jepchirchir was the instigator of almost all the major moves in the race. At Mile 6, she pushed the pace to bring the lead pack down to about 10.