Chebet wins Boston Marathon as race returns to spring

BOSTON (AP) — Evans Chebet of Kenya won the Boston Marathon on Monday as the race returned to its traditional Patriots' Day spot in the schedule for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The men's lead pack of about 20 winnowed to two as it came out of Heartbreak Hill, then Chebet pulled away from Gabriel Geay of Tanzania with about four miles to go to win in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 50 seconds.

Trevor Hofbauer was the top Canadian, finishing 15th in 2:10.52. The 30-year-old from Calgary dipped under the world championship entry standard with his finishing time.

American Daniel Romanchuk won his second career men’s wheelchair title in 1:26:58. Switzerland’s Manuela Schar won her second straight Boston crown and fourth overall, finishing in 1:41:08.

Sharing a weekend with the Red Sox home opener — the city's other sporting rite of spring — more than 28,000 runners returned to the streets from Hopkinton to Copley Square six months after a smaller and socially distanced event that was the only fall race in its 126-year history.

Fans waved Ukrainian flags in support of the few dozen runners whose 26.2-mile run from Hopkinton to Copley Square was the easiest part of their journey. Athletes from Russia and Belarus were disinvited in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainians who were unable to make it to Boston were offered a deferral or refund.

“Whatever they want to do, they can do,” Boston Athletic Association President Tom Grilk said. “Run this year, run next year. You want a puppy? Whatever. There is no group we want to be more helpful to.”

The 125th race was first postponed, then called off because of the pandemic — the first cancellation since the event began in 1897. In