Kipchoge Declared Winner of 2023 Boston Marathon
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Eliud Kipchoge has been named the winner of the 2023 Boston Marathon, Dumb Runner has learned, more than four months ahead of the April 17 race date—a highly unusual move that race organizers say will save time, energy, and money for all involved.
The news comes just days after the 38-year-old Kenyan phenom announced he would compete in what would have been his first ever Boston.
“We understand that declaring a winner for a race that hasn’t happened yet is unorthodox,” the Boston Athletic Association said in a statement. “But Eliud Kipchoge is going to win this thing no matter what.”
“We mean,” the statement continued, “come on.”
The statement explained that the decision to hand the win to Kipchoge would save him the hassle and expense of traveling to Boston in April, and “end the collective agita that (his) competitors have surely felt since hearing they would be racing against him in April.”
Those competitors, the B.A.A. said, will now be racing for second place.
Kipchoge’s string of accomplishments in the marathon is stunning in its depth and breadth, including the world record (2:01:09), two Olympic gold medals, four wins each at London and Berlin, and one win each at Tokyo and Chicago. He is also the only person ever to run the marathon distance in under two hours, which he did in 2019 under carefully controlled conditions.
The B.A.A. said it has mailed an oversized check for $200,000 to Kipchoge, representing $150,000 for his first-place finish and a $50,000 bonus for the course record, along with a laurel wreath, finishers medal, and long-sleeved race shirt.
“We congratulate Mr. Kipchoge on his debut Boston Marathon victory,” the statement concluded, “and we look forward to awarding him another win in 2024, should he choose.”
