April 21: Patriots Day 2008 marked the 112th running of the Boston Marathon, and Robert Cheruiyot crossed the finish line first for the fourth time. Dire Tune would outkick Alevtina Biktimirova to win by two seconds in the closest finish in the history of the women's race. As it always does, though, the Boston race belonged to the thousands who finished the grueling 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boylston Street in the Back Bay. The entry list in 2008 totaled 21,963.