Habtom Samuel and Fentaye Belayneh pushed the pace at the Boston Half on Sunday as they bolted to a pair of victories on a record-setting day on the course.
Samuel took the men’s race in 59:49, setting an event record and becoming the first athlete to run under an hour in the half marathon in Massachusetts.
After crossing the 5k mark in 14:19 in a lead group of nine men that included Andrea Kiptoo, Abel Kipchumba, Mohammed El Youssfi and Amon Kemboi, Samuel surged as the pack began to loosen. By the 10k point at 28:32, he was joined by Kiptoo and Kipchumba as they opened up a gap on the rest of the field.
But Samuel refused to ease off of his stride and held a one-minute lead on Kiptoo at 20km at 56:46 and sealed the win by shattering the one-hour barrier with 11 seconds to spare.
Kiptoo was second in 1:01:03 while Kipchumba finished third in 1:01:16.
“I knew when we were just crossing the 10K mark, we were on for the course record. I saw there was a possibility,” Samuel said. “I knew the first 10K was very flat and downhill, but the second half was the hardest part of the course. I said, ‘I’m going to fight for the course record!’ and I knew when we crossed, I knew I got the course record.”
Belayneh pulled away late as she won the women’s race in 1:09:14 and grabbed a record of her own, becoming the first woman to win the event three times in a row.
From the start, Belayneh was in chase mode as Kassie Parker kicked off into an early lead, crossing the 10km point in 32:51 and holding on to a 12-second advantage. Meanwhile, Belayneh found herself in pursuit alongside Winfred Mbithe, Sintayehu Lewetegn, Melat Kejeta, Vibian Chepkirui, Mercy Cherono, Sydney Vaught and Megan Hasz-Sailor.
At mile 10 in 52:56, the story of how the race would evolve began to change as Belayneh, Mbithe, Chepkirui, Lewetegn and Kejeta tracked down Parker, who drifted 11-seconds off of the pace and would not challenge the group for the remainder of the event.
And by the 20km point at 1:05:46, Belayneh and Mbithe were locked into a final showdown with the finish line approaching. But Belayneh leaned into her kick and raised her arms in victory as she broke the tape.
Mbithe was just two seconds behind and was the runner-up in 1:09:16 while Lewetegn was third in 1:09:26.
“I come here because I know the event is great,” Belayneh said through an interpreter after the race. “I love the atmosphere, and I’ve won twice before.”
Men’s Elite Finishers
1. Habtom Samuel (Eritrea) – 59:49
2. Andrea Kiptoo (Kenya) – 1:01:03
3. Abel Kipchumba (Kenya) – 1:01:16
4. Mohammed El Youssfi (Morocco) – 1:01:29
5. Amon Kemboi (Kenya) – 1:01:46
6. Jack Aho (USA) – 1:01:53
7. Ethan Shuley (USA) – 1:02:14
8. Wesley Kiptoo (USA) – 1:03:03
9. James Mwaura (USA) – 1:03:10
10. Assat Harari (USA) – 1:03:21
Women’s Elite Finishers
1. Fentaye Belayneh (Ethiopia) – 1:09:14
2. Winfred Mbithe (Kenya) – 1:09:16
3. Sintayehu Lewetegn (Ethiopia) – 1:09:26
4. Melat Kejeta (Germany) – 1:09:29
5. Sydney Vaught (USA) – 1:09:44
6. Vibian Chepkirui (Kenya) – 1:09:49
7. Megan Hasz-Sailor (USA) – 1:09:53
8. Mercy Cherono (Kenya) – 1:10:04
9. Kassie Parker (USA) – 1:11:10
10. Zaida Ramos (Peru) – 1:13:01
