Boston Marathon Defending Champions Top 2020 Elite Teams
BOSTON (CBS) - The defending men's and women's champions will return to the Boston Marathon this year, but there won't be many elite American runners at the starting line in Hopkinton this time around.
The Boston Athletic Association and sponsor John Hancock announced the elite field for the 2020 Boston Marathon Wednesday and there is a noticeable lack of Americans. That's because many of them are planning to run in the U.S. Olympic Trials in February instead.
But, 2018 Boston champion Desiree Linden will return, even though she's running the trials next month. Linden was the biggest American name announced Wednesday. She'll be joined on the elite team by Kate Landau of Florida, who finished 13th in the women's race last year.
Topping the women's elite team is defending champion Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia. Kenyans Edna Kiplagat, who won Boston in 2017, and 2015 Boston champion Caroline Rotich will also be back this year. 2014 women's champion and course record holder Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia returns as well.
The elite men's field is led by defending champion Lawrence Cherono of Kenya. Two-time Boston winner Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia (2013 and 2015) and 2018 champion Yuki Kawauchi of Japan will be back. Cherono beat Desisa by just two seconds last year in a thrilling finish.
The lone American on the men's elite team will be Fernando Cabada of California.
In the women's wheelchair division, defending champion Manuela Schär of Switzerland and five-time Boston winner Tatyana McFadden of Maryland will be back.
2019 men's wheelchair champion Daniel Romanchuk of Illinois is returning to defend his title. He'll be challenged by four-time winner Marcel Hug of Switzerland and 10-time winner Ernst van Dyk of South Africa.
WBZ-TV is the exclusive local broadcaster of the 2020 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20. Pre-race coverage begins at 7 a.m. followed by race coverage at 9 a.m. WBZ-TV's coverage will be streaming here on CBSBoston.com beginning at 9 a.m. The stream is limited to New England.
