Boston Marathon 2006

Last Monday was Patriot's Day in Massachusetts and Maine. This holiday commemorates the first skirmishes between America and Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War. It also serves as the official date of the Boston Marathon. This race has been dominated by Kenyans over the last decade, and this year was no exception. Benjamin Maiyo set off at a suicidal pace, and at the half-way mark, was 2 minutes faster than Cosmas Ndeti's Boston Marathon Open Men's Record set in 1994 (2:07.15) [as an aside, I named my first cat, Cosmo, in honor of Ndeti (not Cosmo Kramer as most people thought). Ndeti also inspired me to train for and qualify for the 100th running of the Boston Marathon, that I can say I was a part of, in 1996]. Even more amazing was that he wasn't alone. Fellow Kenyan Robert Cheruiyot and naturalized American Meb Keflezighi trailed desperately not too far in his wake. Maiyo eventually faded to finish second to a charging Cheruiyot, who set the new men's record by one second in 2:07.14. Keflezighi ran his own personal best to finish 3rd, and lead a contingent of Americans who took the 4th and 5th positions as well. Having that many Americans in the top 5 was the first time that has happened since the early 1980's.