2013 Boston Marathon

2013 Boston Marathon
Lelisa Desisa Benti, male winner and Rita Jeptoo, female winner of the 2013 Boston Marathon, near the race's half-way point at the Wellesley College "Scream Tunnel".
Venue	Boston, Massachusetts
Dates	April 15
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The 2013 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 15, 2013. It was the 117th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the second of the World Marathon Majors series to be held in 2013. Over 23,000 runners participated. Lelisa Desisa won the men's division with a time of 2:10:22. Rita Jeptoo won the women's division with a time of 2:26:25. More than $800,000 of prize money was awarded.

The marathon was disrupted by two consecutive explosions on the sidewalk near the finish line, killing three spectators and injuring 264 others. The race was halted, preventing many from finishing. The explosions, later revealed to be bombings, received widespread international media attention.

After 26 seconds of silence to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the marathon got underway with 52 wheelchair competitors leaving Hopkinton at 9:17 am EDT. At 9:30 am, 51 elite women left the starting line, followed by the elite men at 10 am. The remaining competitors were released in three waves over the next 40 minutes. In total, 23,336 competitors, from all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and from 92 countries, started the marathon. The temperature at start time was in the upper 40s °F (8–10 °C) range and climbed to 54 °F (12 °C) at the finish.

Twenty-three-year-old Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia beat out two other runners in a three-way sprint to finish first in the men's division. It was his first win at Boston and just his second ever marathon. Desisa took home $150,000 and an olive wreath crown. His time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 22 seconds was five seconds ahead of second-place finisher, Kenya's Micah Kogo.Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia was six seconds back in third place. American Jason Hartmann finished fourth for the second straight year.