Founded in 1897, the Boston Marathon, the world's oldest marathon, is celebrating its 128th edition this year, and it is also the second of the six major marathons.
In addition to the long history of the Boston Marathon, "BQ" is another unique label for the Boston Marathon.
BQ is an abbreviation for Boston Qualification, which stands for Boston Marathon Results. Only runners who meet the requirements are eligible to apply for tickets to the Boston Marathon. Yes, yes, you don't necessarily have to be able to participate in the competition!
For the 2024 Boston Marathon BQ, the standard is 3 hours for men in the 18-34 age group and 3 hours and 30 minutes for women. Therefore, every mass runner who participates in the Boston Marathon, or who successfully "BQ", is a thing to be proud of.
The Boston Marathon can be said to be a gold-plated field for mass runners, and it is also an "S-class course" for elite runners! Kipchoge, who was aiming to win six majors last year, ended in sixth place in 2:09:23. And in Boston in the wind and rain in 2018, Yuki Kawauchi also staged an inspirational story of a dark horse winning the championship.
The 2024 Boston Marathon will kick off at around 9:30 p.m. CST on April 15, and this year's defending men's and women's champions, Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri, will join forces to take on the marathon's elite challenge.
Defending 1988 champion Evans Chebet of Kenya successfully defended his title last year with a time of 2:05:54 to win two consecutive Boston Marathon races, and he has six victories in his last seven marathon races, including the last two Boston and the 2022 New York City Marathon, three majors!
Chebet's PB is 2:03:00, created in the 2020 Valencia Marathon. In this game, PB is ranked second, and Chebet has a good chance of winning Boston again and achieving three consecutive championships!
Chebet's biggest opponent was the 2024 Valencia Marathon winner Sisay Lemma, who won the marathon in December with a time of 2:01:48 and set a new course record, becoming the fourth-fastest marathon runner in marathon history after Kiptum, Kipchoge and Bekele.
Ethiopia's Lema is also a major winner, having won the London Marathon in 2021 with a time of 2:04:01, and has competed in several major events, but this is his first time on the course of the Boston Marathon.
In addition, last year's runner-up Gabriel Geay of Tanzania is also a strong runner, with a PB of 2:03:00, which was created in the 2022 Valencia Marathon.
In last year's Boston Marathon, Guy was strong, overtaking Benson Kipruto to finish second in 2:06:04 on the final mile of the race, with the latter finishing third by two seconds.
Da Qiangjie confirmed his ticket to the Paris Olympics last month. He is about to run the biggest marathon before the Paris Olympics, and his 2017 marathon debut took place in Boston, where he finished third with a time of 2:10:28.
China's Cheng Qianyu, who finished last month's Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:15:54, will also be stepping onto the Boma Circuit, winning the semi-elite category and achieving a successful PB.
Defending champion Helen Obiri, who won her first major title at last year's Boston Marathon with a time of 2:21:38, was her second marathon at the time, winning the New York Marathon last November with a time of 2:27:23, and won two major trophies in one year!
The Kenyan is a former track elite with two World Championships gold medals and an Olympic silver medal, which gives her a formidable back-up sprint. Although she is only ranked 16th in the PB of this match, she is still the favorite to win the title, and no one can underestimate her quality.
In addition, the 34-year-old has already qualified for Kenya in the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics, and if she successfully defends her title, she will have more confidence in her first Olympic marathon!
Tadu Teshome Nara, a 22-year-old Ethiopian runner at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, PB2:17:36, was the fastest runner in the race. Last year, he finished fifth at the Chicago Marathon in 2:20:04, eighth at the London Marathon at 2:21:31 and sixth at the Shanghai Marathon at 2:25:05.
If he can make a breakthrough at the Boston Marathon, he may be able to represent Ethiopia at the Paris Olympics.
Hiwot Gebremaryam is also a 217-level Ethiopian runner who started her PB at last year's Valencia Marathon, where she finished third in 2:17:59.
She also finished second at the Berlin Marathon in 2021 with a time of 2:21:23 and eighth at last year's Boston Marathon with a time of 2:24:30.
Emma Bates was the fastest homegrown runner in the race with a PB of 2:22:10, which was set at last year's Boston Marathon and finished fifth. Bates also finished runner-up at the Chicago Marathon in 2021.
The Boston Marathon, with its complex and unique course and the absence of a leader, makes this culturally rich race challenging! Runners, including elite runners, need to brace themselves to face this unique marathon journey.
If you want to win the championship here, having enough strength is the basic prerequisite, and excellent on-the-spot adaptability is also the key factor to win! Who will win this championship can be said to be unpredictable until the last moment, and this is one of the most unique charms of this track.
What kind of drama will be staged at the 2024 Boston Marathon?