There is no such thing as a sure thing. People often say that the Boston Marathon is won or lost on the Newton Hills, but an awful lot can happen in that last mile. The men’s race illustrates the former, the women’s race the latter. 42.2K is a long footrace and anything can happen. The 2009 race was no exception:
Highlights from the BAA (for a full recap click here): Last time he came to Boston, in 2006, Deriba Merga slowed to a walk in the Newton hills, and eventually dropped out of the race. In this 2009 Boston Marathon, he surged to the lead in those same hills, and went on to a solid victory in a time of 2:08:42. Salina Kosgei, defending champion Dire Tune and American Kara Goucher battled down Boylston Street to the closest finish in Boston Marathon history, with Kosgei edging Tune at the tape by just one second (2.32.16 and 2.32.17).
Thanks for clipping these two exciting finishes for us.