Closest men's finishes

Margin	Year	Winner
< 1 second	2000	Elijah Lagat (2:09:47) over Gezahegne Abera (2:09:47)
1 second	1988	Ibrahim Hussein (2:08:43) over Juma Ikangaa (2:08:44)
2 seconds	1978	Bill Rodgers (2:10:13) over Jeff Wells (2:10:15)
2 seconds	1982	Alberto Salazar (2:08:52) over Dick Beardsley (2:08:54)
3 seconds	1998	Moses Tanui (2:07:34) over Joseph Chebet (2:07:37)
3 seconds	2002	Rogers Rop (2:09:02) over Christopher Cheboiboch (2:09:05)
4 seconds	1994	Cosmas Ndeti (2:07:15) over Andres Espinosa (2:07:19)
5 seconds	1971	Alvaro Mejia (2:18:45) over Patrick McMahon (2:18:50)
6 seconds	1906	Tim Ford (2:45:45) over Dave Kneeland (2:45:51)
10 seconds	1993	Cosmas Ndeti (2:09:33) over Kim Jae (Ryong (2:09:43)
11 seconds	1916	Arthur Roth (2:27:16) over Willie Kyronen (2:27:27)
11 seconds	1996	Moses Tanui (2:09:15) over Ezekiel Bitok (2:09:26)
12 seconds	1997	Lameck Aguta (2:10:34) over Joseph Kamua (2:10:46)
13 seconds	1944	Gerard Cote (2:31:50) over John A. Kelley (2:32:03)
14 seconds	1914	Jim Duffy (2:25:01) over Edouard Fabre (2:25:15)

Source: Boston Athletic Association