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L. MathekaChepng’eno, Tanui headline Boston half marathon fields
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 25.10.22. | 13:26
Seven women who have run under 1:07:30 and nine men with lifetime bests under 1:01:30 will compete on the roads of Boston
As the Boston half marathon returns to in-person competition since 2019 on Sunday 13 November 13 the Kenyan duo of Vicoty Chepng’eno and Josphat Tanui headline the women and men’s elite fields.
Houston Half Marathon winner Chepngeno who has a personal best time of 1:05:03 in the distance is the fastest entrant followed closely by Ethiopia’s Bosena Mulatie, eighth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships 10,000m in Oregon over the summer, who has a PB of 1:05:46.
Also, in the race for a podium place will be Kenya’s Margaret Wangari and Cynthia Limo as well as 2021 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Molly Seidel, who is making her Boston half debut, and two-time Olympian Molly Huddle who lead the American charge.
Wangari earned a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games marathon, and placed fifth at the Boston half marathon in 2018. Limo is the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships silver medalist.
Seven women who have run under 1:07:30 and nine men with lifetime bests under 1:01:30 will compete on the roads of Boston.
“The B.A.A. Half Marathon is always a fun fall event, and I am eager to race again through Boston with hopes of returning to the podium,” Huddle said in a press release.
Meanwhile, Tanui a 59:22 runner and compatriot Shadrack Kimining (59:27) face an uphill task as they go up against the event’s record holder with a 1:00.34 Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa.
The two Kenyans have the two fastest personal bests in the field, which includes five men who have run under one hour for the half marathon.
Desisa comes with a loaded CV, having won the Boston Marathon in 2013 and 2015, owns a pair of B.A.A. Half Marathon titles from 2013 and 2014, in addition to the event record.
“Boston holds a special place in my heart and I am excited to return again to race in the B.A.A. Half Marathon, where I have had great success before,” said Desisa. “I hope to run very well again!”
Geoffrey Koech, the 2022 Cardiff Half winner, and Ethiopian Tsegay Kidanu, 11th at the Copenhagen Half Marathon, are competing, as is Morocco’s Zouhair Talbi, the third-place finisher at the 2022 B.A.A. 5K.
The top American entrant is Teshome Mekonen, who formerly represented Ethiopia internationally, has run 1:00:02, and won this year’s Brooklyn Half. The American group also includes Kevin Koski, Geoffrey Kipchumba, Chad Hall, Tim McGowan, Brendan Martin and Alejandro Martinez Ambrosio.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has partnered with the B.A.A. Half Marathon since 2003 as the race’s presenting sponsor and exclusive charity team. Through this relationship, Dana-Farber runners have collectively raised more than $8 million to support groundbreaking cancer research, and enabled Dana-Farber scientists and clinicians to positively impact the lives of cancer patients around the world.
