Marcel Hug, Tatyana McFadden Win Boston Marathon Wheelchair Races
BOSTON (CBS) - Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Tatyana McFadden of Maryland won the wheelchair divisions in the Boston Marathon on a rain-soaked course Monday.
Hug and 10-time Boston champion Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa were essentially side-by side through the first 20 miles of the race, but Hug pulled ahead on Heartbreak Hill in Newton and never looked back.
Hug finished in 1:46:26. Van Dyk finished second at 1:47:17.
Last year, Hug completed the course in 1:18:04 in much drier conditions. He did not speak to reporters after the race, but was instead taken to the medical tent.
McFadden held a huge lead in the women's wheelchair race and went on to win Boston for the fifth time in 2:04:40.
McFadden did not win last year, but won four straight from 2013 to 2016
McFadden struggled in 2017 due to blood clot issues. But she told WBZ-TV after her win this year she knew she had to get back on the course.
"I'm just really, really happy. Today is a day of being 'Boston Strong,' and surviving out there," she said.
"It took a lot to come back. The last month I've been focused on two-a-days and really focusing on building myself back. I never gave up. There were times I really wanted to say 'Maybe not this year.' But I love this sport so much and I just really didn't want to give up. I had to come back."
