Boston Marathon Results

Defending champion Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya won his fourth Boston Marathon on Monday, with Ethiopia's Dire Tune taking the women's crown in the event's tightest finish ever. Cheruiyot, the first Kenyan man to win four Boston Marathons after victories in 2003, 2006 and 2007, had an official time of 2:07:46 and followed by Abderrahime Bouramdane in second place and Khalid El Boumlili in third. It was the 16th time since 1991 that a Kenyan has won the world's oldest annually contested marathon.

"The course is so tough, so it feels great to me," he told a news conference after winning the $150,000 winner's prize and becoming only the fourth man to win four Boston Marathons. Cheruiyot also earned a likely chance to represent Kenya at the Beijing Olympics this summer.

The real drama was in the women's field, where Tune and Russia's Alevtina Biktimirova battled shoulder-to-shoulder through the final stages with both runners sprinting ahead of the other as they neared the finish line. Tune ended up winning in finishing in 2:25:25, just two seconds ahead of Biktimirova.

A (not so?) surprising face in crowd was Lance Armstrong this year, his first Boston race. Hearing different stories about Heartbreak Hill during his training for the marathon, Armstrong mentioned after the race that some runners had told him it would be much easier than he should expect. Apparently, he found it a different story by race end.

"They were wrong," Armstrong said shortly after finishing his first Boston Marathon on Monday 2:50:58. Heartbreak Hill, the last in a series of hills between miles 18 and 21, is a key test for runners nearing the end of the up and down course. The first of the hills was the worst, Armstrong said, and the heartbreaker lived up to its name.

Armstrong said he planned to run Boston again, though he added he’s too busy with other things to get more serious about running. "It is a hobby, it keeps me fit on a daily basis, it keeps me inspired and motivates me to go out and run," he said.

Armstrong added he regrets not training harder when he’s suffering in the middle of a race. "Every time I come out here, I swear to myself I’m going to train harder for the next one," he said. "But I never do."

Oh, to be like Lance.