109th Boston marathon takes place



Catherine Ndereba won her fourth Boston marathon yesterday, making her the first woman to do so. The Kenyan trailed for the first 20 miles of the race, before passing Elfenesh Alemu at the top of Heartbreak Hill in Newton. Though the 26.2 mile race takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, it has been dominated by Kenyan and Ethiopian runners for approximately the last ten years. Emily Levan of Wiscasset, Maine, was the first American woman to finish, placing twelfth in 2:43:14. Levan was also 12th in the 2003 Boston Marathon.

Ethiopian Hailu Negussie won the men's race in 2:11:45. American Alan Culpepper placed fourth, the highest an American has placed in the Boston marathon since 1987, when Dave Gordon did the same.



Ernst Van Dyk won the men's wheelchair race for the fifth year in a row. The women's wheelchair race was won by Cheri Blauwet, who also won the event in 2004.