2019 Boston Marathon live-ish Coverage
Good morning marathon fans! I’m going to be live-blogging here through the duration of the marathon.
I’ll be mostly focused on the American women, but will include other race happenings too.
Keep hitting refresh for updates. Scroll to the bottom to start from the beginning.
For reference, here’s how the race went last year:
Thanks for following along! If you enjoyed the live-blog feel free to reach out on Instagram, Twitter or shoot me an email (nicole@nicolebushmedia.com) and let me know.
I’ll probably post a short wrap-up later today.
Special thanks to Athlinks for their support of the live-blog!
11:15/1:15: Mary Higgins
Mary came up a little short of her goals, but still ran 3:05:41 after being hospitalized with food poisoning eight days ago. I can’t even imagine.
11:07/1:07: Joan Benoit Samuelson splits
Went through:
5K: 20:44
10K: 41:47
Half marathon: 1:29:55
25K: 1:46:58
20 miles: 2:19:28
40K: 2:54:15
Finish: 3:04:00
She ran within 40 minutes of her winning time from 40 years ago. She’s been running for at least 4 decades. That’s amazing.
10:41/12:41 — Mary Higgins
She’s on 3:03:10 pace, which is off of her goal. But, there’s a chance she’ll finish near Joan Benoit Samuelson (3:03:34 pace) and see her and lose her tired mind. I hope that happens.
10:19/12:10 — American men in the top-30
Scott Fauble: 2:09:10, 6th
Jared Ward: 2:09:25, 8th
Elkanah Kibet: 2:11:51, 11th
Augustus Maiyo: 2:12:40, 13th
Shadrack Biwott: 2:13:11, 15th
Dathan Ritzenhein: 2:16:19, 19th
Brendan Gregg: 2:16:46, 20th
Matthew Mcdonald: 2:16:58, 21st
Enoch Nadler: 2:17:06, 22nd
Ben Payne: 2:18:01, 24th
Stephen Vangampleare: 2:18:40, 25th
Abdi Abdirahman: 2:18:56, 26th
Riley Cook: 2:20:23, 28th
10:01/12:01 — American women in the top-30
Jordan Hasay: 2:25:20, 3rd
Des Linden: 2:27:00, 5th
Lindsay Flanagan: 2:30:07, 9th
Betsy Saina (KEN): 2:30:32, 10th
Kate Landau: 2:31:56, 13th
Bridget Belyeu: 2:34:35, 14th
Sara Hall: 2:35:34, 15th
Becky Wade: 2:36:21, 17th
Hilary Dionne: 2:36:21, 18th
Sarah Sellers: 2:36:42, 19th
Bria Wetsch: 2:38:10, 21
Kate Pallardy: 2:38:27, 22nd
Sarah Pease: 2:39:08, 23rd
Kimi Reed: 2:40:12, 24th
Dawn Grunnagle: 2:40:26, 25th
Caitlin Chrisman: 2:40:29, 26th
Dot Mcmahan: 2:40:45, 28th
Michele Lee: 2:42:02, 29th
Paula Pridgen: 2:32:36, 30th
Ladia Albertson-Junkans: 2:43:04
9:56/11:56 — Women’s Update and some finish times
Kiplagat smiled across the finish line.
Hasay in 3rd 2:25:20 unofficially
Des in 5th, blowing kisses and waving on her way to the finish—which makes me super emotion because she’s also emotional. Smiles as she crosses the line. 2:27:00.
9:53/11:53 — Women’s update
Hasay is in 3rd. Des in 5th.
It looks like Degefa is going to have the win, but Kiplagat is going to get so close after that gap that it’s painful.
9:50/11:50 — Can Kiplagat close the gap?
I don’t know, can she? Can she?!!?
9:37/11:37 — Some splits/places I’m trying to keep straight
35K:
Hasay: 2:01:00, 4th
Des: 2:01:44, 8th
Flanagan: 2:04:18, 11th
Hall: 2:04:54, 13th
Landau: 2:05:13, 14th
Wade: 2:07:38, 16th
Belyeu: 2:07:49, 17th
Sellers: 2:08:49, 18th
Dionne: 2:09:11, 20th
Pease: 2:11:13, 2:38:11 pace.
Albertson-Junkans, at 21 miles: 2:10:21, 2:42:42 pace
9:35/11:35 — Correction
The gap between Degefa and Kiplagat might not have been under 2 mins earlier. I might have been wrong about that.
9:34/11:34 — Scott Fauble is leading
And he has a gap.
9:27/11:27— US women’s splits and more
Degefa’s lead is now less than 2 minutes.
Hasay through 20 in 1:51:23
Des: 1:51:36
Hall: 1:52:53
The chase pack is stringing out. Hasay is getting run away from.
Kiplagat is dropping the hammer, she is flying. Degefa looks like she’s jogging compared.
9:24/11:24 — The women’s race 1:51:37
Hasay is looking pretty good. Toward the front of the chase pack, in 5th at 20 miles.
Degefra’s pace dropped about 20 seconds after the last mile.
9:20/11:20 — The women’s race 1:47:39
Degefa’s turnover looks a little slower, maybe an opportunity for the chase pack to catch her? Or, at least shrink the gap even more.
Des may have dropped off the chase pack but she’s still in it. She’s the second American, through the 30K in 1:43:53.
Hall is the 3rd American, through 30k in 1:45:29.
9:16/11:16 — Hasay splits
5k: 17:35
10k: 34:38
15k: 51:46
20k: 1:09:27
HALF: 1:13:08
25K: 1:26:26
30K: 1:43:47
Projected pace: 2:25:58
9:13/11:13 — Women’s 1:40:35 in
Des is off the chase pack. The hill might have got her. Hasay is in the lead pack, still. The gap between the chase pack and Degefa is shrinking, but is still over 2 minutes—almost 2:30.
I’m assuming Des threw in those surges because she wasn’t feeling great and needing to press to make something happen for herself.
9:08/11:08 — Albertson-Junkans splits
Lidia was through the half in 1:20:46 and 25k in 1:35:43. She’s on 2:41:33 pace.
9:03/11:03 — More Big Ten women-Sarah Pease
Sarah Pease is on pace for a 2:35 marathon. She went the half in 1:17:42 and the 25k in 1:32:17.
9:01/11:01 — Kiplagat to the front, then Des. Ward leads.
Shit’s getting exciting. Kiplagat was in the front, but then Des is back in the lead.
Meanwhile Ward is leading the men’s race!
Holy balls.
9:00/11:00 — Women’s 1:24:26-ish in
The chase pack is getting more fluids.
Des is off to the left of the pack, on the other side of the street. She’s worked her way back behind the pack, but she’s falling off the chase pack a little, but seem to be trying to work her back back up.
She’s moving up, looking serious. She’s back in the front.
Des is hammering.
8:54/10:54 — Men’s 15k
Ritz, Ward and Fauble all went through in 45:45 leading!
Ward is out front now, gapping the field about 54:33 in.
8:44/10:44 — US Women’s update, half splits
The women’s chase pack with a bunch of Americans in it is looking good and is still quite large. They are about 2:27 mins back from Degefa.
Hasay is pressing a the front of the chase pack.
Half splits:
Hasay: 1:13:08, 10th
Des: 1:13:09, 11th
Kipyego: 1:13:14, 12th
Hall: 1:13:16, 13th
Flanagan: 1:14:04, 14th
Kate Landau: 1:14:02, 16th
Becky Wade: 1:14:20, 17th
Sarah Sellers: 1:15:27, 19th
8:38/10:38 — For Big Ten fans, Ladia Albertson-Junkans splits
5k: 19:14
10k: 38:16
15k: 57:32
She’s now on 6:12 pace, projected to finish in 2:41:50
8:34/10:34 — My friend Mary Higgins is right on pace
Mary is right on pace for what she wanted to be doing at this stage of the race. She went through the 5k at 20:57, on 6:44 pace.
Read more about Mary’s Boston stuffs while they aren’t showing the women or the American women much: https://nicolebbush.com/2019/04/14/meet-bq-mary-higgins/
8:31/10:31 — Joanie’s Splits
Joanie went through the 5k in 20:44, that’s 6:40 pace and a projected 2:54 finish time.
8:25/10:25 — Women’s 15k splits and place
Degefa: 50:21, leading
Kiplagat: 51:34, 2nd
Des: 51:46, 5th
Saina: 51:46, 10th
Kipyego, Hasay, Hall: all 51:46, 11-12-13
Lindsay Flanagan: 52:21, 15th
Becky Wade: 52:27, 18th
Sarah Sellers: 53:05, 19th
8:21/10:31 — Some men’s 5k splits
Elkanah Kibet: 15:12
Dathan: 15:13
Jared Ward: 15:13
Abdi Abdirahman: 15:14
Timothy Ritchie: 15:18
8:17/10:17 — ~45 mins into women’s race
Degefa is just smashing the field. The second pack is about 11 women and they are prettty far back.
Des is on about 5:33 pace.
8:12/10:12 —More women’s 10k splits
Betsy Saina: 34:28
Lindsay Flanagan: 34:44
Becky Wade: 34:58
Sarah Crouch: 35:28
Bria Wetsch: 36:11
8:06/10:06 — Women’s 10k
Worknesh Degefa is way out in front, through the 10k in 33:58.
Sharon Cherop 34:12
Mare Dibaba 34:12
Jordan Hasay, Betsy Saina, Sally Kipyego, Des and Sara Hall all around 34:28.
8:05/10:05 — Joan Benoit Samuelson
Joanie has started. It’s been reported that she hopes to run within 40 mins of her Boston time, with this being the 40th anniversary of her historic win.
8:00/10:00 — Men’s elite start
And they’re off.
7:57/9:57 — 4.5 miles in
We now have two packs. Three out front, pressing the pace. Des leading/at the front of the second pack.
7:54/9:54 — 22-ish mins in/4.3 miles
Shit’s getting fast with the women. It looks like Des is on 5:39 pace. She went through the 5k in 17:35. 2:28:18-ish pace.
7:51/9:51 — Idk, a time?
The pace is dropping, athletes are getting their first drinks.
7:48/9:48 — 5k mark
Degefa is up behind Hall now. Hall keeps checking her splits.
The announcers are talking about the women’s height and weight………
7:46/9:46 — 13:40 mins in
Hall is adding to the gap again. And the pack has picked up the pace just a bit.
7:44/9:44 —11:18 minutes into the race
The group is catching up to Hall. Des is right behind her.
7:41/9:42 — Just after first mile
The leaders are running around 5:43 pace. Sara Hall is still out front and the pack if huge.
7:33/9:33 — They’re off!
Okay, so the race as started. Now we wait.
And I just got a bunch of notifications from the BAA tracking app that a bunch of people have started. and Sara Hall is out in front.
7:30/9:30 — On the start line
Des is smirking on the start line—oh full smile now.
I see my training partner Bria Wetsch and I’m trying not to get too excited because, like, 26.2 miles is a long time.
7:28/9:28 — Almost the start
How much would everyone lose their mind if Des won again this year?
The women are on the line. Here we go!
7:23/9:23 — Still, still before the race (I got here early)
A friend texted me and wanted to know ‘why the unicorn things?’
According to the FAQ page of the Boston Athletic Association website:
“Why was the Unicorn chosen as the symbol of both the Boston Athletic Association and the Boston Marathon?
While it is popular belief that in 1887 the B.A.A. founders chose the Unicorn as the organization’s symbol due to its place in mythology (Chinese and other mythologies regard the figure as an ideal and something to be pursued but which can never be caught), it is more likely that the Unicorn was borrowed from the coat of arms from one of the B.A.A.’s first families. Still, the now iconic Unicorn stands for striving for excellence…. even it can never be achieved.”
7:02/9:02 — Still before the race
The elite women start at 7:32MT/9:32 ET. The elite men start at 8:00ET/10:00ET. For more information on the waves: https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/enter/participant-basics
For fun while we wait for the marathon starts, here are few embedded Tweets:
6:45MT/8:45ET — Before the race
I can’t wait for this to all get underway. I can’t wait to see how my friends Bria Wetsch and Mary Higgins so. I can’t wait to see how all the Americans—and those training in the US—do and I’m excited to fangirl about Des Linden.
Being a fellow Michigander, and having grown up running in Michigan, I’m also looking forward to seeing Dathan Ritzenhein on the course. He’s had a rough go getting to a starting line in the last couple of years, due to injury, and I’m happy to see him out there again.
Running Things 