Boston Marathon history

	More history links: History index Past champions Records Closest men's finishes Closest women's finishes Johnny Kelley (1907-2004)			Key events in Marathon history and modern year-by-year results 1897:The first marathon 1900: The first international presence 1901: Scandal, legalized betting and first-ever marathon photos 1907: Course changes & Heartbreak Hill 1916: First Bostonian wins 1918: Marathon cancelled; relay race instead 1920: Boston Classic Chosen as Olympic Marathon Trials 1921: Zuna sets course record of 2:18:57 1924: DeMar sets new world's record 1935: Johnny Kelley wins first victory 1953: A year of world-record-breaking times 1957: John J. Kelley finally wins Boston Marathon 1972: Women officially acknowledged in BAA race 1975: Rodgers, Winter obliterate record books 1979: Rodgers breaks own course record for third win; Benoit takes women's division 1980: Rosie Ruiz pulls the ultimate prank 1983: Joan Benoit carves out a new world 1986: De Castella and Kristiansen win first cash prize 1990: Gelindo Bordin is the first Olympic gold medalist to win Boston 1993: Cosmas Ndeti wins his first 1996: A stunning push near finish makes Pippig three-time champ 1997: A new order: Kenya's Lameck Aguta, Ethiopia's Fatuma Roba win 101st running 1998: Tanui regains Boston crown, Roba makes it two in a row 1999: Fatuma Roba repeats; Kenya's Joseph Chebet finally wins 2000: Elijah Lagat wins closest race to date; Catherine Ndereba breaks through 2001: Lee Bong Ju of Korea breaks Kenyan stranglehold; Ndereba wins again 2002: Rop leads comeback by Kenyan men; Okayo KOs course record 2003: Cheruiyot leads sweep by Kenyan men; Russian women take 1-2 2004: Kenyans take the titles: Timothy Cherigat wins the men's race, and Catherine Ndereba wins the women's. 2005: Catherine Ndereba makes history with a fourth Boston title; Hailu Negussie wins men's race. 2006: Experience guideded Robert Cheruiyot to a record run (by just one second) and second win in the Boston Marathon.