The Boston Marathon 2017 saw a Kenyan sweep with Geoffrey Kirui and Edna Kiplagat winning the men's and women's races, respectively, Monday.
With both making their Boston Marathon debuts, Kirui secured his lead at mile 21 and raced to a finish of 2:09:37, ahead of second place Galen Rupp (2:09:58), the top American in the race. Kiplagat, took her lead for good at mile 18 and darted to a time of 2:21:52, The Boston Globe reported.
Kiplagat beat out Bahrain's Rose Chelimo (2:22:51) while Jordan Hassay was the top American women's finisher, coming in third with a time of 2:23:10, according to the Boston Athletic Association website.
Runners had to deal with temperatures that jumped into the low 70s midway through the race, but were helped with a tailwind of 13 miles per hour at the start of the race, the Globe noted. Gusts of up to 30 mph were expected during the race.
Kathrine Switzer returned to the Boston Marathon for the first time since 1976. The 70-year-old marked the 50th anniversary of becoming the first registered woman to compete in the marathon, CNN reported.
The race became memorable when then race director Jock Semple was photographed taking to the course in an attempt to rip her race bib off and remove her from the course, before being pushed away by her then boyfriend.
The city announced plans to install two markers to recognize the site of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and a larger monument to represent the city's resiliency, the Boston Herald reported.
"We will never forget the events of April 15, 2013," Mayor Martin J. Walsh said in a statement, according to the Herald. "Together, these memorials will create a place for people to connect with each other, and to reflect. The result will be a testament to the spirit and resiliency of the people of Boston, and a way to honor those we have lost, and those who are still healing."