2008 Boston Marathon

In one of the most remarkable weekends of racing that Boston has ever seen, the 112th Boston Marathon set off from Hopkinton just 24 hours after the U.S. Olympic Team Trials–Women’s Marathon, run through the streets of Boston and Cambridge, had determined the U.S. Olympic team. While Deena Kastor thrilled marathon fans on Sunday with her Olympic trials marathon win, on Monday it was Boston veteran Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and rookie Dire Tune picking up where Kastor had left off.

Tune and Alevtina Biktimirova broke away from the women’s field, which included past champs Rita Jeptoo and Lidiya Grigoryeva, and battled all the way to Boylston Street. After trading the lead repeatedly over the final miles, Tune finally began to pull away in the last quarter-mile, becoming Boston’s youngest women’s champion since Joan Benoit in 1979. Cheruiyot again proved that he is currently unrivaled in his mastery of the Boston course, winning his third consecutive and fourth career title. In doing so, he joined Clarence H. DeMar (seven victories), Gerard A. Cote (four victories), and Bill Rodgers (four victories), as the only men to have won Boston at least four times. Registration for the 112th Boston Marathon had to be closed in late February because the 25,000-person field had already filled.