Boston Marathon

‘Yes, I was looking over my shoulder’: Diana Kipyogei on 2021 Boston Marathon win

Kipyogei held off former champion Edna Kiplagat in the women's race of the 2021 Boston Marathon.

By Gary Dzen

October 11, 2021

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Diana Kipyogei has run three official marathons in her life, and after Monday’s running of the 2021 Boston Marathon, she can say she’s won two of them.

Kipyogei won the women’s race at the 2021 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:24:45, joining fellow Kenyan Benson Kipruto in crossing the tape first Monday in Copley Square.

With 10 half marathon wins on her resume, as well as a victory in the 2020 Istanbul Marathon, Kipyogei is no stranger to race day success. But her marathon major debut (Boston joins Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York as major marathon races) was made all the more impressive by holding off former Boston champion Edna Kiplagat by 24 seconds.

“I’m very happy,” Kipyogei told WBZ through a translator.

In the interview, she admitted she was worried about Kiplagat and Ethiopia’s Netsanet Gudeta, who she battled in the Newton Hills.

“Yes, I was looking over my shoulder,” said Kipyogei.

The biggest challenge of the race, Kipyogei said, was Heartbreak Hill.

While it’s nice to soak in the win, the specter of an April Boston Marathon coming soon after this year’s October version looms as a decision both Kipyogei and Kipruto will have to make. As of now, both runners tell WBZ they plan to return to run Boston again in April.