Benson Kipruto Of Kenya Wins Boston Marathon Men's Race
BOSTON (CBS) -- Benson Kipruto of Kenya won the 125th Boston Marathon on Monday, thanks to a timely surge around the 22-mile mark. It's his first Boston win and third marathon victory of his career.
Kipruto broke the tape at an official time of 2:09:51. He adds Monday's win in Boston to his victories at the 2021 Prague Marathon and the 2018 Toronto Marathon.
Kipruto finished 10th in the 2019 Boston Marathon. His best finish came in the 2019 Toronto Marathon when he crossed the finish line in 2:05:13.
Through a translator, Kipruto told WBZ-TV's Steve Burton that Boston was "slower" than he expected. He added that the fans really helped him along with all their cheering.
CJ Albertson of Fresno, California -- who turned 28 on Monday -- got off to a big lead at the jump and held a lead of over two minutes at the midway point. But the pack caught up with him around Heartbreak Hill after he led for roughly an hour and 43 minutes.
Shortly after the group caught Albertson, Kipruto pulled away from the pack and cruised to a victory. He finished 46 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Lemi Berhanu of Ethiopia (2:10:37), who finished just one second ahead of third-place finisher Jemal Winer (2:10:38), also of Ethiopia.
Colin Bennie was the top USA runner, coming in seventh with a finish of 02:11:26. Albertson came in 10th with a finish of 02:11:44.