2013 Boston Marathon

The marathon distance is officially long as sanctioned by World Athletics (IAAF). The Boston Marathon course has been the same since the inaugural race in 1897. The start is in the town of Hopkinton and the first are downhill through Ashland and into the city of Framingham. Leaving Framingham, the runners enter the town of Natick, before passing through the 'Scream Tunnel' at mile 12. This area is filled with a 'tunnel' of young women from the nearby Wellesley College who request kisses from runners, a tradition that has been in place for more than 100 years. At mile 15, there is a large downhill section, followed by a climb at mile 16 crossing the Yankee Division Highway. The runners take a right turn onto Commonwealth Avenue in Newton before starting the first of the four 'Newton Hills'. At half a mile long and with a 3.3% percent incline, it is not especially difficult, but due to the hill being into the race, it is still feared as the runners' legs are usually tired at this point. The course is mostly downhill to the end, and passes through Boston College before entering Cleveland Circle then Kenmore Square where there are many spectators. The final mile has a slight incline, before it flattens off to finish on Boylston Street. ==Field==

The fastest competitor in the women's race was Meseret Hailu who had run 2:21:09 to win the 2012 Amsterdam Marathon and 1:08:55 to win the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. 2011 Frankfurt Marathon winner Mamitu Daska, runner-up at the 2012 Berlin Marathon Tirfi Tsegaye, and winner of the 2012 Chicago Marathon Rita Jeptoo were also racing. Reigning wheelchair champions Joshua Cassidy and Shirley Reilly returned to defend their titles in their respective categories. Wesley Korir returned to defend his 2012 title in the men's race. He had most recently finished fifth in the 2012 Chicago Marathon. Also competing were 2013 Dubai Marathon winner Lelisa Desisa, 2012 Boston Marathon runner-up Levy Matebo Omari, 2011 Los Angeles Marathon winner Markos Geneti, 2011 New York City Marathon winner Gebre Gebremariam, and 2010 Boston Marathon winner Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot. The wheelchair race began at 9:17 EDT (UTC−4), the women's at 9:32 EDT and the men's at 10:00 EDT. In the men's and women's races, the winner received $150,000, with second and third receiving $75,000 and $40,000, respectively. ==Race summary==

during the race After 26 seconds of silence to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the marathon got underway with 53 wheelchair competitors leaving Hopkinton. The temperature at start time was in the upper 40 °F (8–10 °C) range and rose to at the finish. This was the first time that Yamamoto, aged 46, had competed in the Boston Marathon. She was eventually caught when Ana Dulce Félix increased the pace and broke away from the main pack to gain a lead of 76 seconds. In the men's race, Jason Hartmann and Fernando Cabada led during the early miles before a group of nine caught up before half-way. ==Starting times==

In 2013, the starting times were: • 9:00 a.m.: Mobility Impaired Program • 9:17 a.m.: Push Rim Wheelchair Division • 9:22 a.m.: Handcycle Participants • 9:32 a.m.: Elite Women • 10:00 a.m.: Elite Men and Wave One • 10:20 a.m.: Wave Two • 10:40 a.m.: Wave Three ==Bombing==

At 2:49 p.m. EDT (race clock time 4:09.43), almost two hours after the winners had completed, two explosions occurred near the finish line. Three spectators were killed and 264 others injured. Among the injured, 17 were reported in critical condition, with at least 14 people requiring amputations. The race was halted 8 minutes after the explosions; runners east of Massachusetts Avenue were diverted into Boston Common, while those west of it were diverted to Kenmore Square. On May 16, 2013, just one month after the bombings, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) gave participants who ran at least half the distance but were not able to complete the 2013 Marathon early entry into the 2014 race. The B.A.A. agreed to allow these 5,633 runners entry in August, compared to September for regular entrants. Qualifying standards were also waived for them. A memorial was erected in August 2019 on Boylston Street. It was built by sculptor Pablo Eduardo and consists of bronze spires surrounding two granite pillars. Howard Mayes and four other runners crossed the finish line at the moment, down to the second, of the first explosion. A documentary film, 5 Runners, premiered on April 14, 2014, the eve of the attack's first anniversary. ==Results==

Source: Wheelchair ==References==