2015 Boston Marathon

2015 Boston Marathon
Winners Lelisa Desisa Benti and Caroline Rotich, approaching halfway point
Venue	Boston
Dates	April 20
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The 2015 Boston Marathon was the 119th running of the Boston Athletic Association's mass-participation marathon. It took place on Monday, April 20 (Patriots Day in Massachusetts). The men's race was won by Lelisa Desisa from Ethiopia in a time of 2:09:17. Caroline Rotich of Kenya won the women's race with a time 2:24:55.

The event ran along the same winding course the Marathon has followed for many decades‍—‌26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km) of roads and city streets, through eight Massachusetts cities and towns, to the finish line beside the Boston Public Library, on Boylston Street in Boston's Copley Square. The Marathon had about 30,000 entries. All 50 US states and all Canadian provinces were represented at the marathon, as well as several U.S territories, including American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S Virgin Islands.

Training for the 2015 marathon in the Greater Boston area was difficult because Boston received over 100 inches (250 cm) of snow during the previous winter. This resulted in many people trying to find ways to work around the weather, such as training on treadmills and indoor tracks, and by obtaining more equipment designed for the weather Boston received.

All but one of the four defending champions participated in the marathon. Rita Jeptoo, who set a course record in 2014, was the exception. She is serving a two-year ban for a positive drug test taken in September 2014, which did not void her record.

On a cold and rainy day, turnout for the 2015 Boston Marathon was lighter than the one million spectators race officials had planned for. Stiff winds slowed race times. Security was described as "visible but not intrusive" as local and state police combined forces with National Guard soldiers to keep things safe.