Boston’s streets were packed with half a million enthusiastic fans eagerly awaiting the start of the Boston Marathon, which featured 30,000 runners from around the globe.

Sisay Lemma, 34, from Ethiopia, emerged triumphant in the men’s marathon, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:06:17. As he completed the race, Lemma collapsed, overwhelmed by a mix of relief, joy, and exhaustion.

Having arrived in Boston as the 2021 London champion and boasting the fastest time in the field, Lemma became only the fourth person ever to break the 2:02:00 barrier when he won in Valencia the previous year.

The world record remains held by Kelvin Kiptum, who tragically passed away in a car accident in Kenya earlier this year after posting a time of 2:00:35 at Chicago’s marathon.

On the women’s side, Kenya’s Hellen Obiri secured victory for the second consecutive year. Obiri defended her title with a time of 2:22:37, becoming the first back-to-back winner since Catherine Ndereba achieved the feat in 2004 and 2005.

The 128th edition of the historic race saw representation from all 50 US states and nearly 130 countries. Approximately 500,000 fans were anticipated to line the streets of Boston in support of the event.