Crowning Champions

approached the Newton Hills: By 25K, a chase pack of 15 had cut his lead to 1:41; by 30K, 54 seconds; by 20 miles, 23 seconds. A mile later, at the top of Heartbreak Hill, 2017 champion Geofrey Kirui was leading a group of 14 and Albertson was losing contact of the back.

Meanwhile, Kipruto — who later said he hadn't known anyone was even up there until Albertson was caught — was getting ready to make his own move.

"After finishing here a couple of years ago in 10th place, today I tried to push at 35K to see if today was my day," said

the 30-year-old, who left Boston in 2019 knowing he needed to adjust his training to improve on the downhills. "And it was." His split between 35K and 40K, by which time he was 37 seconds in the lead, was an eye-popping 14:06.

Kipruto would cross the finish line in 2:09:51. Battling behind him for the runner-up spot were Ethiopians Lemi Berhanu, Jemal Yimer and Tsedet Ayana, and Kenya's Leonard Barsoton. Berhanu, the 2016 Boston champion, would prevail, in 2:10:37, with Yimer, finishing his first marathon, just one second back in third. The top American, Massachusetts native Colin Bennie, was seventh in 2:11:26; Albertson would fight back to finish 10th in 2:11:44.

Kipyokei, meanwhile, officially led the women at the halfway point (1:14:11) but, unlike Albertson, she had plenty of company in a pack of 15. Firmly in that pack was American Nell Rojas, making her Abbott World Marathon Majors debut; at mile 18, she was leading a dozen up front, as U.S. stars Des Linden and Jordan Hasay faded early.

CJ Albertson: Birthday Boy

For the first 20 miles, CJ Albertson ran alone out in front of the field. Building a lead of more than two minutes at halfway, the self-proclaimed best downhill runner in the world used the roar of the crowd to his advantage. Mile after mile, Albertson waved his hands looking for louder and louder cheers from the dedicated supporters through Natick, Wellesley and Newton.

Leading the Boston Marathon was a perfect birthday present for the Californian, who turned 28 on race day. He finished 10th in 2:11:44.

"I've never been here before," Albertson said. "This is my first time in Boston. I had a really great time; it was fun just engaging with the crowd for the whole race. Any time you have people supporting something you do love and engaging in a shared love, it's just awesome. For two hours and 11 minutes, I got to be in an environment with a bunch of people who were excited about running and there's not much greater than that."