Boston Marathon

Who’s running the 2013 Boston Marathon?

By Marie Torto

5 minutes to read

  • Olympian Shalane Flanagan is not only one of the biggest names in this year’s Boston Marathon, she’s also very likely the overwhelming local favorite. Flanagan, who was a cross-country star at Marblehead High before becoming a college and then international track star, will run her first Boston Marathon on April 15.

    After success at middle distances, Flanagan switched to the marathon, and she was 10th in the 2012 London Olympics women’s marathon after winning the US Olympic trials.

    “To me, the Boston Marathon is just pouring your heart out,” said Flanagan. “I’ll be thinking not to give an inch and own the course; just pour everything I have into that performance that day.”

  • Eric Alexander

    Former New England Patriots linebacker Eric Alexander will run the Boston Marathon to raise money for the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. As part of his fundraising efforts, Alexander threw himself a birthday party in February, asking for a $25 donation at the door or free admission to those who had already donated to the his cause. The football star also had various sports memorabilia available for purchase, with proceeds benefitting this charity.

  • Gabriel Gomez

    Gabriel Gomez, a Republican candidate for the US Senate in Massachusetts’ special election to replace John Kerry, announced he would run the Boston Marathon that will take place just two weeks before the primary election. The 47-year-old qualified for the race by finishing the 2011 Smuttynose Rockfest Marathon in New Hampshire in 3:22. In the midst of the high-pressure election, Gomez says he gets up between 4:30 and 5:30 in the morning to train and has begun his taper for the marathon.

  • Kara Goucher

    Another Olympian running Boston this year will be Kara Goucher, who placed 11th at the 2012 Summer Olympics games for the women’s marathon, just behind Shalane Flanagan. Goucher was injured during the fall of 2012, but was able to return to racing in February, running the New Orleans Half Marathon and placing fifth.

  • Joey McIntyre

    New Kids on the Block singer Joey McIntyre will run his first Boston Marathon to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. On his charity page McIntyre wrote: “My mother suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. She loved to walk everywhere…so I’ll run for her instead in the Boston Marathon.”

  • Summer Sanders

    Four-time medalist and two-time gold medalist at the 1992 Olympics for Team USA, Summer Sanders was the most decorated US swimmer that year. Now, her endeavors have taken her from the pool to the pavement.

    After finishing Disney’s Princess Half Marathon in 1:43:31 on Feb. 24, this year’s Boston Marathon will be her first. Another notable name is Sian Welch, wife of Iron Man World Champion Greg Welch.

  • Team Hoyt

    The father-son duo of Dick and Rick Hoyt form Team Hoyt, which will run its 31st Boston Marathon in 2013. Dick is 72 and pushes his son Rick, 51, who is a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, in a special running wheelchair. To benefit the Hoyt Foundation, the pair have raised almost $114,000 toward their $125,000 goal for 2013.

  • Kris and Kayla Biagiotti

    Following in the footsteps of Team Hoyt, Kris and Kayla Biagiotti of Mendon, Mass. will be the first mother-daughter wheelchair team to run the Boston Marathon. Kayla is 18, and was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease when she was three. 2013 will be Kris’ seventh Boston Marathon despite her own health issues with brain tumors. The call themselves “the K-Girls.”

  • Fernando Cabada

    Winner of the 2012 Los Angeles Marathon and a three-time World Championship competitor for Team USA, Cabada missed a chance to represent the USA in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics after placing seventh at the qualifier. He does, however, hold records in North and Central America for the 25K distance.

  • Greg Meyer

    Winner of the 1983 Boston Marathon, Greg Meyer ran that year’s Boston in 2:09:00 and this year will mark the 30-year anniversary of his win. Meyer will be part of the John Hancock Elite Athlete team this year and has spent the past two years as head coach of the Hancock Employees training team.

  • Wesley Korir

    Wesley Korir, the defending Boston Marthon champion, is back in 2013 in hopes of re-claiming the title. Korir finished the 2012 Marathon in 2:12:40. Korir was recently elected to the Kenyan Parliament.

  • Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot

    A marathoner from Kenya, Cheruiyot won the Boston Marathon in 2010 in 2:05:52, beating the previous record by more than a minute. After winning the race, Cheruiyot used his winnings to buy more cows for his farm in Eldoret, a town in West Kenya.

  • Peter Sagal

    Famous for his presence in broadcast media, radio host Peter Sagal completed the Boston Marathon in 2007 and will run this year’s race with a partner. Sagal will be running with William Greer, a legally blind seasoned marathoner, who has six marathons and one half-marathon under his belt, boasting a best time of 3 hours and 50 minutes. Sagal plans on running slightly ahead of Greer to point out any obstacles that could be a problem.

  • Gebregziabher Gebremariam

    Gebremariam returns to Boston after placing 14th in the 2012 marathon. This came one year after he was third at the Boston Marathon in 2011 in 2:04:53. He won the New York City Marathon in 2010. Most recently, Gebremariam placed second at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon in February.

  • Levy Matebo

    Despite the heat of the 2012 Boston Marathon, Matebo was able to pull out a second place finish, crossing the finish line behind Wesley Korir. He has marathon titles in both Brussels and Barcelona and has a best time of 2:05:16.

  • Sharon Cherop

    Sharon Cherop is the reigning women’s champion of the Boston Marathon, completing 2012 in 2:31:50. Despite her success, Cherop, a native of Kenya, was not selected for the Kenyan Olympic team for the Summer 2012 in London.

  • Rita Jeptoo

    Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo was the women’s champion at the 110th Boston Marathon in 2006 in 2:23:38. This year, Jeptoo has already raced the RAK Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates and improved her best half-time to 66:27.

  • Amby Burfoot

    Amby Burfoot joins the list of past winners of the Boston Marathon. Burfoot won the marathon in 1968, in 2:22:17 and will wear #1968 this year. Burfoot, now an editor at Runner’s World magazine, runs the Boston Marathon in 5-year intervals and his peak training can have him running between 100-140 miles per week.

  • Deriba Merga

    Deriba Merga, winner of the 113th Boston Marathon in 2009, was a late entry to this year’s race. His time in 2009 was 2:08:42, and he won by almost a full minute, breaking away at the end of the race for a solo finish.

  • Joan Benoit Samuelson

    Boston Marathon legend Joan Benoit Samuelson will join the pack of marathon runners on the 30-year anniversary of her Boston win in 1983. Samuelson also won the race in 1979 and became the inaugural winner of the first women’s Olympic Marathon in 1984 in Los Angeles. Samuelson also ran the marathon in 2011, coming in under three hours and last year in 3:23:08 despite the harsh heat. She will run as a member of the John Hancock Elite Athlete Team.

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