List of winners of the Boston Marathon
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This page lists the winners of the Boston Marathon, which has been running continuously since 1897 and is the oldest annual marathon in the world. The first race, run in 1897, included only 15 runners, all of whom were men. Women were only officially allowed to run the race beginning in 1972, though female runners had unofficially participated beginning in 1966 despite the opposition of the Boston Athletic Association, the race sponsor. The Boston Marathon became the first major marathon to include a wheelchair division in 1975 for men, and added a wheelchair division for women in 1977.
Many marathon champions have repeated their feats in following years. The record for most repeated championships stands at 8, held by Jean Driscoll in the Women's Wheelchair division. In the Men's Open division, Clarence DeMar holds the distinction of most wins with 7, Catherine Ndereba tops the Women's Open division with 4, and Ernst Van Dyk won 4 championships in the Men's Wheelchair division. The United States has had more winners than any other country, followed closely by Kenya and Canada. The United States and Canada dominated the early years of the race, and it wasn't until the 36th race in 1932 that someone from outside North America, Paul Debruyn of Germany, won the race. There has been much more national diversity among Boston Marathon champions in recent decades, with Kenya the most dominant nationality, especially in the Men's Open division.
The 42.195 km (26.2 miles) length of the marathon was not fixed before the 1924 Paris Olympics, and the Boston course varied as well. Prior to 1924 the course distance was approximately 24.5 miles. Even after the standardization of marathon lengths, the Boston course was off by nearly 200 yards from the correct distance until the mistake was discovered and corrected in 1927. The course grew gradually shorter in the 1950s as road re-construction straightened curves. This time, upon remeasurement the course was found to lack nearly 1200 yards, and was corrected beginning with the 1957 race. Due to these changes, the marathon recognizes several course records which are slower than previous records due to being run on longer courses. 26 world records have been set on the Boston Marathon course, 1 in the Men's Open Division, 2 in the Women's Open, 13 in the Men's Wheelchair, and 10 in the Women's Wheelchair.
Contents |
[edit] Men's Open
| Year | Athlete | Country/State | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | John J. McDermott |  United States (NY) |
2:55:10 | course record |
| 1898 | Ronald J. MacDonald |  Canada |
2:42:00 | course record |
| 1899 | Lawrence Brignolia | United States (MA) |
2:54:38 | |
| 1900 | John Caffery | Canada |
2:39:44 | course record |
| 1901 | John Caffery | Canada |
2:29:23 | 2nd victory, course record |
| 1902 | Sammy Mellor | United States (NY) |
2:43:12 | |
| 1903 | John Lorden | United States (MA) |
2:41:29 | |
| 1904 | Michael Spring | United States (NY) |
2:38:04 | |
| 1905 | Frederick Lorz | United States (NY) |
2:38:25 | |
| 1906 | Tim Ford | United States (MA) |
2:45:45 | |
| 1907 | Thomas Longboat | Canada |
2:24:24 | course record |
| 1908 | Thomas Morrissey | United States (NY) |
2:25:43 | |
| 1909 | Henri Renaud | United States (NH) |
2:53:36 | |
| 1910 | Fred Cameron | Canada |
2:28:52 | |
| 1911 | Clarence DeMar | United States (MA) |
2:21:39 | course record |
| 1912 | Michael Ryan | United States (NY) |
2:21:18 | course record |
| 1913 | Fritz Carlson | United States (MN) |
2:25:14 | |
| 1914 | James Duffy | Canada |
2:25:14 | |
| 1915 | Édouard Fabre | Canada |
2:31:41 | |
| 1916 | Arthur Roth | United States (MA) |
2:27:16 | |
| 1917 | Bill Kennedy | United States (NY) |
2:28:37 | |
| 1918 | Military Relay[1] | United States (MA) |
2:29:53 | |
| 1919 | Carl Linder | United States (MA) |
2:29:13 | |
| 1920 | Peter Trivoulides | United States (NY) |
2:29:31 | |
| 1921 | Frank Zuna | United States (NY) |
2:18:57 | course record |
| 1922 | Clarence DeMar | United States (MA) |
2:18:10 | 2nd victory, course record |
| 1923 | Clarence DeMar | United States (MA) |
2:23:47 | 3rd victory |
| 1924 | Clarence DeMar | United States (MA) |
2:29:40 | 4th victory |
| 1925 | Charles Mellor | United States (IL) |
2:33:00 | |
| 1926 | Johnny Miles | Canada |
2:25:40 | course record |
| 1927 | Clarence DeMar | United States (MA) |
2:40:22 | 5th victory, course record |
| 1928 | Clarence DeMar | United States (MA) |
2:37:07 | 6th victory, course record |
| 1929 | Johnny Miles | Canada |
2:33:08 | 2nd victory, course record |
| 1930 | Clarence DeMar | United States (MA) |
2:34:48 | 7th victory |
| 1931 | James P. Henigan | United States (MA) |
2:46:45 | |
| 1932 | Paul DeBruyn |  Germany |
2:33:36 | |
| 1933 | Leslie S. Pawson | United States (RI) |
2:31:01 | course record |
| 1934 | Dave Komonen | Canada |
2:32:53 | |
| 1935 | John A. Kelley | United States (MA) |
2:32:07 | |
| 1936 | Ellison Brown | United States (RI) |
2:33:40 | |
| 1937 | Walter Young | Canada |
2:33:20 | |
| 1938 | Leslie S. Pawson | United States (RI) |
2:35:34 | 2nd victory |
| 1939 | Ellison Brown | United States (RI) |
2:28:51 | 2nd victory, course record |
| 1940 | Gérard Côté | Canada |
2:28:28 | course record |
| 1941 | Leslie S. Pawson | United States (RI) |
2:30:38 | 3rd victory |
| 1942 | Joe Smith | United States (MA) |
2:26:51 | course record |
| 1943 | Gérard Côté | Canada |
2:28:25 | 2nd victory |
| 1944 | Gérard Côté | Canada |
2:31:50 | 3rd victory |
| 1945 | John A. Kelley | United States (MA) |
2:30:40 | 2nd victory |
| 1946 | Stylianos Kyriakides |  Greece |
2:29:27 | |
| 1947 | Suh Yun-Bok |  South Korea |
2:25:39 | world record, course record |
| 1948 | Gérard Côté | Canada |
2:31:02 | 4th victory |
| 1949 | Karl Leandersson |  Sweden |
2:31:50 | |
| 1950 | Ham Kee-Yong | South Korea |
2:32:39 | |
| 1951 | Shigeki Tanaka |  Japan |
2:27:45 | |
| 1952 | Doroteo Flores |  Guatemala |
2:31:53 | |
| 1953 | Keizo Yamada | Japan |
2:18:51 | |
| 1954 | Veikko Karvonen |  Finland |
2:20:39 | |
| 1955 | Hideo Hamamura | Japan |
2:18:22 | |
| 1956 | Antti Viskari | Finland |
2:14:14 | course record |
| 1957 | John J. Kelley | United States (CT) |
2:20:05 | course record (new course) |
| 1958 | Franjo Mihalić |  Yugoslavia |
2:25:54 | |
| 1959 | Eino Oksanen | Finland |
2:22:42 | |
| 1960 | Paavo Kotila | Finland |
2:20:54 | |
| 1961 | Eino Oksanen | Finland |
2:23:39 | 2nd victory |
| 1962 | Eino Oksanen | Finland |
2:23:48 | 3rd victory |
| 1963 | Aurèle Vandendriessche | .svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
2:18:58 | course record |
| 1964 | Aurèle Vandendriessche | Belgium |
2:19:59 | 2nd victory |
| 1965 | Morio Shigematsu | Japan |
2:16:33 | course record |
| 1966 | Kenji Kimihara | Japan |
2:17:11 | |
| 1967 | David McKenzie |  New Zealand |
2:15:45 | course record |
| 1968 | Ambrose Burfoot | United States (CT) |
2:22:17 | |
| 1969 | Yoshiaki Unetani | Japan |
2:13:49 | course record |
| 1970 | Ron Hill |  United Kingdom |
2:10:30 | course record |
| 1971 | Álvaro Mejía |  Colombia |
2:18:45 | |
| 1972 | Olavi Suomalainen | Finland |
2:15:39 | |
| 1973 | Jon Anderson | United States (OR) |
2:16:03 | |
| 1974 | Neil Cusack |  Ireland |
2:13:39 | |
| 1975 | Bill Rodgers | United States (MA) |
2:09:55 | course record |
| 1976 | Jack Fultz | United States (VA) |
2:20:19 | |
| 1977 | Jerome Drayton | Canada |
2:14:46 | |
| 1978 | Bill Rodgers | United States (MA) |
2:10:13 | 2nd victory |
| 1979 | Bill Rodgers | United States (MA) |
2:09:27 | 3rd victory, course record |
| 1980 | Bill Rodgers | United States (MA) |
2:12:11 | 4th victory |
| 1981 | Toshihiko Seko | Japan |
2:09:26 | course record |
| 1982 | Alberto Salazar | United States (MA) |
2:08:52 | course record |
| 1983 | Greg Meyer | United States (MI) |
2:09:00 | |
| 1984 | Geoff Smith | United Kingdom |
2:10:34 | |
| 1985 | Geoff Smith | United Kingdom |
2:14:05 | 2nd victory |
| 1986 | Robert de Castella |  Australia |
2:07:51 | course record |
| 1987 | Toshihiko Seko | Japan |
2:11:50 | 2nd victory |
| 1988 | Ibrahim Hussein |  Kenya |
2:08:43 | |
| 1989 | Abebe Mekonnen |  Ethiopia |
2:09:06 | |
| 1990 | Gelindo Bordin |  Italy |
2:08:19 | |
| 1991 | Ibrahim Hussein | Kenya |
2:11:06 | 2nd victory |
| 1992 | Ibrahim Hussein | Kenya |
2:08:14 | 3rd victory |
| 1993 | Cosmas Ndeti | Kenya |
2:09:33 | |
| 1994 | Cosmas Ndeti | Kenya |
2:07:15 | 2nd victory, course record |
| 1995 | Cosmas Ndeti | Kenya |
2:09:22 | 3rd victory |
| 1996 | Moses Tanui | Kenya |
2:09:15 | |
| 1997 | Lameck Aguta | Kenya |
2:10:34 | |
| 1998 | Moses Tanui | Kenya |
2:07:34 | 2nd victory |
| 1999 | Joseph Chebet | Kenya |
2:09:52 | |
| 2000 | Elijah Lagat | Kenya |
2:09:47 | |
| 2001 | Lee Bong-Ju | South Korea |
2:09:43 | |
| 2002 | Rodgers Rop | Kenya |
2:09:02 | |
| 2003 | Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot | Kenya |
2:10:11 | |
| 2004 | Timothy Cherigat | Kenya |
2:10:37 | |
| 2005 | Hailu Negussie | Ethiopia |
2:11:44 | |
| 2006 | Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot | Kenya |
2:07:14 | 2nd victory, course record |
| 2007 | Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot | Kenya |
2:14:13 | 3rd victory |
| 2008 | Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot | Kenya |
2:07:45 | 4th victory |
[edit] Women's Open
| Year | Athlete | Country/State | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Roberta Gibb | United States (MA) |
3:21:40 | course record [2] |
| 1967 | Roberta Gibb | United States (CA) |
3:27:17 | 2nd victory [2] |
| 1968 | Roberta Gibb | United States (CA) |
3:30:00 | 3rd victory [2] |
| 1969 | Sara Mae Berman | United States (MA) |
3:22:46 | [2] |
| 1970 | Sara Mae Berman | United States (MA) |
3:05:07 | 2nd victory, course record [2] |
| 1971 | Sara Mae Berman | United States (MA) |
3:08:30 | 3rd victory [2] |
| 1972 | Nina Kuscsik | United States (NY) |
3:10:26 | |
| 1973 | Jacqueline Hansen | United States (CA) |
3:05:59 | |
| 1974 | Miki Gorman | United States (CA) |
2:47:11 | course record |
| 1975 | Liane Winter | West Germany |
2:42:24 | world record, course record |
| 1976 | Kim Merritt | United States (WI) |
2:47:10 | |
| 1977 | Miki Gorman | United States (CA) |
2:48:33 | 2nd victory |
| 1978 | Gayle S. Barron | United States (GA) |
2:44:52 | |
| 1979 | Joan Benoit | United States (ME) |
2:35:15 | course record |
| 1980 | Jacqueline Gareau | Canada |
2:34:28 | course record [3] |
| 1981 | Allison Roe | New Zealand |
2:26:46 | course record |
| 1982 | Charlotte Teske | West Germany |
2:29:33 | |
| 1983 | Joan Benoit | United States (MA) |
2:22:43 | 2nd victory, world record, course record |
| 1984 | Lorraine Moller | New Zealand |
2:29.28 | |
| 1985 | Lisa Larsen Weidenbach | United States (MI) |
2:34.06 | |
| 1986 | Ingrid Kristiansen |  Norway |
2:24:55 | |
| 1987 | Rosa Mota |  Portugal |
2:25:21 | |
| 1988 | Rosa Mota | Portugal |
2:24:30 | 2nd victory |
| 1989 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway |
2:24:33 | 2nd victory |
| 1990 | Rosa Mota | Portugal |
2:25:24 | 3rd victory |
| 1991 | Wanda Panfil |  Poland |
2:24:18 | |
| 1992 | Olga Markova |  Russia |
2:23:43 | |
| 1993 | Olga Markova | Russia |
2:25:27 | 2nd victory |
| 1994 | Uta Pippig | Germany |
2:21:45 | course record |
| 1995 | Uta Pippig | Germany |
2:25:11 | 2nd victory |
| 1996 | Uta Pippig | Germany |
2:27:12 | 3rd victory |
| 1997 | Fatuma Roba | Ethiopia |
2:26:23 | |
| 1998 | Fatuma Roba | Ethiopia |
2:23:21 | 2nd victory |
| 1999 | Fatuma Roba | Ethiopia |
2:23:25 | 3rd victory |
| 2000 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya |
2:26:11 | |
| 2001 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya |
2:23:53 | 2nd victory |
| 2002 | Margaret Okayo | Kenya |
2:20:43 | course record |
| 2003 | Svetlana Zakharova | Russia |
2:25:19 | |
| 2004 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya |
2:24:27 | 3rd victory |
| 2005 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya |
2:25:12 | 4th victory |
| 2006 | Rita Jeptoo | Kenya |
2:23:38 | |
| 2007 | Lidiya Grigoryeva | Russia |
2:29:18 | |
| 2008 | Dire Tune | Ethiopia |
2:25:21 | 2 seconds ahead of 2nd place finisher |
[edit] Men's Wheelchair
| Year | Athlete | Country/State | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Robert Hall | United States (MA) |
2:58:00 | course record |
| 1976 | none | |||
| 1977 | Robert Hall | United States (MA) |
2:40:10 | 2nd victory, world record, course record |
| 1978 | George Murray | United States (FL) |
2:26:57 | course record |
| 1979 | Ken Archer | United States (OH) |
2:38:59 | |
| 1980 | Curt Brinkman | United States (UT) |
1:55:00 | world record, course record |
| 1981 | Jim Martinson | United States (WA) |
2:00:41 | |
| 1982 | Jim Knaub | United States (CA) |
1:51:31 | world record, course record |
| 1983 | Jim Knaub | United States (CA) |
1:47:10 | 2nd victory, world record, course record |
| 1984 | Andre Viger | Canada |
2:05:20 | |
| 1985 | George Murray | United States (FL) |
1:45:34 | 2nd victory, world record, course record |
| 1986 | Andre Viger | Canada |
1:43:25 | 2nd victory, world record, course record |
| 1987 | Andre Viger | Canada |
1:55:42 | 3rd victory |
| 1988 | Mustapha Badid |  France |
1:43:19 | world record, course record |
| 1989 | Philippe Couprie | France |
1:36:04 | world record, course record |
| 1990 | Mustapha Badid | France |
1:29:53 | 2nd victory, world record, course record |
| 1991 | Jim Knaub | United States (CA) |
1:30:44 | 3rd victory |
| 1992 | Jim Knaub | United States (CA) |
1:26:28 | 4th victory, world record, course record |
| 1993 | Jim Knaub | United States (CA) |
1:22:17 | 5th victory, world record, course record |
| 1994 | Heinz Frei |  Switzerland |
1:21:23 | world record, course record |
| 1995 | Franz Nietlispach | Switzerland |
1:25:59 | |
| 1996 | Heinz Frei | Switzerland |
1:30:14 | 2nd victory |
| 1997 | Franz Nietlispach | Switzerland |
1:28:14 | 2nd victory |
| 1998 | Franz Nietlispach | Switzerland |
1:21:52 | 3rd victory |
| 1999 | Franz Nietlispach | Switzerland |
1:21:36 | 4th victory |
| 2000 | Franz Nietlispach | Switzerland |
1:33:32 | 5th victory |
| 2001 | Ernst Van Dyk |  South Africa |
1:25:12 | |
| 2002 | Ernst Van Dyk | South Africa |
1:23:19 | 2nd victory |
| 2003 | Ernst Van Dyk | South Africa |
1:28:32 | 3rd victory |
| 2004 | Ernst Van Dyk | South Africa |
1:18:27 | 4th victory, world record, course record |
| 2005 | Ernst Van Dyk | South Africa |
1:24:11 | 5th victory |
| 2006 | Ernst Van Dyk | South Africa |
1:25:29 | 6th victory |
| 2007 | Masazumi Soejima | Japan |
1:29:16 | |
| 2008 | Ernst Van Dyk | South Africa |
1:26:49 | 7th victory |
[edit] Women's Wheelchair
| Year | Athlete | Country/State | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Sharon Rahn | United States (IL) |
3:48:51 | course record |
| 1978 | Susan Shapiro | United States (CA) |
3:52:35 | |
| 1979 | Sheryl Bair | United States (CA) |
3:27:56 | world record, course record |
| 1980 | Sharon Limpert | United States (MN) |
2:49:04 | world record, course record |
| 1981 | Candace Cable-Brookes | United States (NV) |
2:38:41 | course record |
| 1982 | Candace Cable-Brookes | United States (NV) |
2:12:43 | 2nd victory, world record, course record |
| 1983 | Sherry Ramsey | United States (CO) |
2:27:07 | |
| 1984 | Sherry Ramsey | United States (CO) |
2:56:51 | 2nd victory |
| 1985 | Candace Cable-Brookes | United States (CA) |
2:05:26 | 3rd victory, world record, course record |
| 1986 | Candace Cable-Brookes | United States (CA) |
2:09:28 | 4th victory |
| 1987 | Candace Cable-Brookes | United States (CA) |
2:19:55 | 5th victory |
| 1988 | Candace Cable-Brookes | United States (CA) |
2:10:44 | 6th victory |
| 1989 | Connie Hansen |  Denmark |
1:50:06 | world record, course record |
| 1990 | Jean Driscoll | United States (IL) |
1:43:17 | world record, course record |
| 1991 | Jean Driscoll | United States (IL) |
1:42:42 | 2nd victory, world record, course record |
| 1992 | Jean Driscoll | United States (IL) |
1:36:52 | 3rd victory, world record, course record |
| 1993 | Jean Driscoll | United States (IL) |
1:34:50 | 4th victory, world record, course record |
| 1994 | Jean Driscoll | United States (IL) |
1:34:22 | 5th victory, world record, course record |
| 1995 | Jean Driscoll | United States (IL) |
1:40:42 | 6th victory |
| 1996 | Jean Driscoll | United States (IL) |
1:52:56 | 7th victory |
| 1997 | Louise Sauvage | Australia |
1:54:28 | |
| 1998 | Louise Sauvage | Australia |
1:41:19 | 2nd victory |
| 1999 | Louise Sauvage | Australia |
1:42:23 | 3rd victory |
| 2000 | Jean Driscoll | United States (IL) |
2:00:52 | 8th victory |
| 2001 | Louise Sauvage | Australia |
1:53:54 | 4th victory |
| 2002 | Edith Hunkeler | Switzerland |
1:45:57 | |
| 2003 | Christina Ripp | United States (IL) |
1:54:47 | |
| 2004 | Cheri Blauwet | United States (CA) |
1:39:53 | |
| 2005 | Cheri Blauwet | United States (CA) |
1:47:45 | 2nd victory |
| 2006 | Edith Hunkeler | Switzerland |
1:43:42 | 2nd victory |
| 2007 | Wakako Tsuchida | Japan |
1:53:30 | |
| 2008 | Wakako Tsuchida | Japan |
1:48:32 | 2nd victory |
[edit] Victories by nationality
| Country | Men's Open |
Women's Open |
Men's Wheelchair |
Women's Wheelchair |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States |
44 | 15 | 12 | 23 | 94 |
| Kenya |
17 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Canada |
16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Japan |
8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Switzerland |
0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Finland |
7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| South Africa |
0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Ethiopia |
2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Germany |
1 | 5[4] | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Australia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Russia |
0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| France |
0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| New Zealand |
1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Portugal |
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| South Korea |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| United Kingdom |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Belgium |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Norway |
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Colombia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Denmark |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Greece |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Guatemala |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ireland |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Italy |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Poland |
0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sweden |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Yugoslavia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Due to American involvement in World War I, the 1918 race was run as a 10-man relay for teams from military bases across the United States. The winner was the team from Camp Devens, Massachusetts.
- ^ a b c d e f The first 6 victories in the women's open division were unofficial until officially recognized in 1996.
- ^ Another runner, Rosie Ruiz, was originally declared the winner of the 1980 marathon. When it was determined that Ruiz cheated, Gareau was named the winner.
- ^ This includes two victories by West German athletes during the Cold War.
