I was able to catch some of the race coverage of the Boston Marathon today and I watched with delightful surprise as American Desiree Linden and Japanese Yuki Kawauchi won their respective divisions.
A few tears even formed in my eyes upon the realization that Linden, born and raised in California, USA, pulled ahead of her competitors to gain such a commanding lead in the last few miles that she finished the race with no one behind her for four minutes, as she marked her victory as the first American woman to win the race in 35 years. Wow.
It is also important to note that six of the other ladies in the top 10 were also Americans, including the amazing Shalane Flanagan. In short, the American gals positively crushed it this year.
On the men's side, Kawauchi managed to surpass Kenyan competitor Geoffrey Kirui in the last two miles, with an enormous kick that put him far ahead, making him the first Japanese man to win the race in 31 years.
In a sport that has for so long been so dominated by Africans, it is quite amazing to see Americans and Japanese athletes stepping up to the challenge and taking home wins in the world's oldest and most prestigious annual marathon.
If, per chance, you feel like watching the short movie I made from my experience running the Boston Marathon in 2010, it is in three parts on You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdjBm96hZgQ&t=16s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piH5c-5hCrI&t=14s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZikyUD6umqU&t=6s
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