Key events in Marathon history and modern year-by-year results
(Source: The Boston Globe)
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.