2001 Boston Marathon

Updated August 28, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The 105th edition of the Boston Marathon was held Monday, April 16, 2001 and run, as always, from Hopkinton through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Brookline to Boston, Mass. For the first time since 1990, a runner from a country other than Kenya won as South Korean Lee Bong-Ju was the first to break the tape in 2:09:43. He was the first Korean to win Boston since 1950. Ecuador's Silvio Guerra was runner-up in 2:10:07 while the Kenyans grabbed the next three spots.

In the women's division, 2000 champ Catherine Ndereba of Kenya successfully defended her crown, winning by almost three minutes in 2:23:53. Ndereba surged in the Newton hills to open up a commanding lead over three-time winner Fatuma Roba and the rest of the field.

In the wheelchair race, Australian ace Louise Sauvage (1:53:54) won for the fourth time, edging Switzerland's Edith Hunkeler by just four seconds. South Africa's Ernst VanDyk (1:25:12) unseated Switzerland's Franz Nietlispach in the men's wheelchair division. Nietlispach had won four in a row. Winners in the men's and women's divisions earned $80,000.

Distance: 26.2 miles.