Desisa and Rotich Ready to Defend in Boston

Published by IAAF on April 15, 2016

running of the B.A.A. Boston Marathon on Monday (18), one of the world’s most venerated road races one of only three IAAF Gold Label Road Races in the U.S.

Although the point-to-point race from the distant western suburb of Hopkinton in to Boston’s Back Bay is generally known more for its challenging profile than its fast times, Boston has been a prestigious international title since long before the professional era. Launched in 1897 on a course planned specifically in imitation of the classic Marathon-to-Athens course at the first modern Olympics, the race was one of the most competitive in the world in the days before international air travel. More recently, winning in Boston launched the careers of athletes like Bill Rodgers, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Uta Pippig, and Robert Cheruiyot.

Highlighting this year’s men’s race is defending champion Desisa, winner in 2013 and 2015. Should Desisa pick up a third win, a feat which has proven remarkably difficult in Boston (Cheruiyot was the last man to do it), he’d seal his place as one of Boston’s favorites, a position he first earned by returning his 2013 medal to the city in a gesture of sympathy.