Boston Marathon: Results Analysis, Multi-Year Statistics, Avg Finish Times, Tips, more


Preliminary 2019 Analytics: Average Finish Time by Division

2018 Results Analysis by Age Group, Year, Weather

2017 Finish Times by Age Group, Wave, City
    Racing Boston: Strategy, Pacing, Weather

    By Raymond Britt

    We've run Boston 13 consecutive times and, we can assure you: there is nothing like it in the world. You'll know what I mean when you get there. The thrill of starting the race in Hopkinton can feel amazing, but often, the next 26.2 miles can be unpredictable. We've been analyzing Boston races for years, and here we present the highlights of analytics in charts and links to other articles that may help you run your best.

    2017 Boston Marathon Analysis








    Comprehensive Results Analysis
      Historical Results: Times, Finishers by AG

      2016 Boston Marathon Analysis

      Boston Marathon Race Day is approaching; and it gets all that more exciting when bib numbers are assigned. BAA has just assigned numbers to 30,630 athletes (24,000+ qualifiers), roughly the same number as in 2015.

      Here's our breakdown of the field, by wave and gender. 54% overall are male, with most up front, 92% of the first wave, 58% of wave 2. Women dominate wave 3. Wave 4 tends to be for charity runners, mostly women.



      Detailed Boston Marathon 2015 Results

      Boston Marathon 2014 Results Analysis

      Boston Marathon 2014, rebounding from the tragedy of 2013,  proved to be a spectacular success, setting or nearly matching many historical records.
      For more detailed Boston Marathon 2014 Analysis: 
      RunTri.com's Comprehensive Boston Marathon 2014 Results coverage dives into the race results, going into detail by age group mix, finishers by age group, average finish times by age group, all presented here.


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      Boston Marathon Finish Line by Raymond Britt




      Boston Marathon Geographic Analysis


        Qualifying for Boston: 2015 Example

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        Boston Marathon 2019: Elite Winner Photos by Raymond Britt

        Boston Marathon 2019 elite runners and wheelchair athletes sprint to exciting victories on Boylston St. in these images.

        With less than 200 yards to go, Lawrence Cherono (left) and previous 2-time Boston winner Lelisa Desisa dig deep, going for the win.

        With under 15 yards to go, Cherono (right) begins to pull ahead of Desisa. Note: left side is a memorial to the victims of Boston Marathon 2013 Bombings.

        Cherono increases the lead to take the win in 2:07:57; Desisa finished two seconds later in 2:07:59.

        Worknesh Degefa stunned spectators and expert analysts by defying conventional wisdom, choosing to run out to an early lead of up to three minutes at one point, remaining far in front until the finish. Here, she displays perfect form, about 100 yards prior to victory.

        And the richly deserved win was hers. Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia breaks the tape to win her first Boston Marathon. 


        Manuela Schar of Switzerland crushed the women's wheelchair field, winning by more than seven minutes, with a 1:34:19.

        Defending champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland finished in third place, roughly five minutes behind the winner with a time of 1:26:42.



        The Destination: The Spectacular Finish Line. This was taken later in the day when runners from the third and fourth waves were crossing the finish line. Note the dry conditions . . .

        ... dry conditions that didn't last for long. Seven minutes later, buckets of rain fell on the continuing flow of finishers, who probably didn't notice very much after a long hard run of 26.2 miles.

        For more, return to www.RaceBoston.com or the site home page www.RunTri.com.