The 2023 Boston Marathon Para-Athletic Winners

Every year, the Boston Marathon draws an elite field, including many of the sport's premier para-athletes. These athletes have an unparalleled opportunity to showcase their abilities in their birthplace city of Boston.

Hellen Obiri of Kenya ran away with the women's race in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 22 seconds to repeat her TCS New York City triumph from last fall.

Hellen Obiri (Women’s Open)

On Patriots' Day, more than 30,000 runners started the 127th Boston Marathon from Hopkinton in four waves - Para-athletes being among them. Starting first was Men's Open and Women's Wheelchair divisions followed by Professional Men/Professional Women as well as Handcycles/Duos groupings.

Hellen Obiri, an accomplished Kenyan track athlete and marathon rookie made her marathon debut at Monday's Boston Marathon. With her goal being sub-four hour times and unwavering dedication she achieved an outstanding result of 2:21:38; this was 12 seconds ahead of runner-up Amane Beriso and just short of her personal best time.

Obiri, who will relocate from Kenya's Great Rift Valley later this year to Boulder, Colorado is relishing the challenge of living so far away from her roots and familiar surroundings. She plans on using running, elite-level training and seeing familiar faces to ease her transition.

Kipchoge was uncertain how he would handle the Newton hills and Heartbreak Hill between 16-21 miles in the marathon race. While initially staying near the lead pack, fatigue eventually forced him back out.

He was outpaced by a pack of six or seven runners led by American Maegan Krifchin who led them for the first two miles before they started to disperse.

Obiri kept up her impressive pace throughout the final mile and passed Beriso in the closing strides to become the winner of her inaugural world marathon major championship race. Obiri's performance was even more noteworthy considering her limited running experience.

As such, her forthcoming competition against Hassan could provide an ideal test of her abilities at the highest levels. The 5,000-meter event is set for Monday; 10,000 meters on Wednesday both events taking place at Tokyo Olympic Stadium.

Obiri, one of the most decorated female athletes of her generation, must find a way to cope with both distance and culture shock in her move far from home. She hopes her training base in Boulder where they will have access to soft dirt roads for training sessions as well as working closely with an elite training group will ease her transition.

Marko Cheseto Lemtukei (Men’s Open)

As the Boston Marathon prepares to celebrate its 127th edition in 2023, for the first time ever it will include divisions for para-athletes with visual, upper limb and lower limb impairments. A field of 125 athletes includes elite runners known for their speed and stamina along with seven members from its inaugural class of nonbinary athletes.

Marko Cheseto Lemtukei stands out among this year's Para athletes as an extraordinary double lower-limb amputee who runs with prosthetic legs to finish six marathons sub-2:10. Known for close finishes and once holding the world record for fastest double lower-limb impaired athlete.

Lemtukei has not given in to his condition's challenges, refusing to let it stop him. He maintains a successful running career while helping organize clinics for amputees through organizations such as California Amputee Foundation (CAF) and prosthetic maker Ossur.

Marathon events are special to him because it offers him an opportunity to share his story and give back to the community. "It's just very rewarding experience," he says, "especially when helping someone feel great about themselves.

He led from start to finish in his race, covering the first mile in 4:20 before sprinting away from his competitors to win in 2 hours 50 minutes and two seconds; just two seconds off of his personal best from last year! With this victory, he earned $150,000 as prize money.

He will face stiff competition from Kenyan runners such as Evans Chebet (world-leading 2:21:38 for distance running and multiple international victories) as well as David Bett, Kennedy Kimutai and Bravin Kiptoo from this continent.

Ernst van Dyk is one of the most decorated athletes in race history with 10 titles won and Chaz Davis holds the world record in men's T46 Para-Marathon division. They both return with experience and speed for another championship campaign.

Susannah Scaroni (Women’s Wheelchair)

Susannah Scaroni defeated all competition to take her maiden Boston Marathon women's wheelchair win on Monday. Overcoming mechanical issues early in the race, Scaroni finished in 1 hour 41 minutes 45 seconds -- an unofficial time that was one-tenth faster than last year's winner Manuela Schar from Switzerland.

Graduate of the University of Illinois, Scaroni has won two World Marathon Major races over the past two years - Chicago and New York City marathons - both World Marathon Major races on her way to winning both gold medals at Paralympic 5,000m in London 2016. Furthermore, she holds a personal best marathon time of 1 hour 27 minutes 31 seconds (1:27:31).

Her victory at the Boston Marathon is especially poignant because it comes ten years after a finish line bombing killed three and injured hundreds more - an event commemorated this momentous anniversary by hosting a ceremony Saturday featuring robot dog Stompy who patrolled the course to remember this milestone event.

Scaroni, 31, is a member of the USA Track and Field team and has been competing since she was five. She participates in Paralympic Games races such as T54 race as well as five world championships.

She began the Boston Marathon on a high note, setting a new BAA 5K course record on Saturday. Unfortunately, after entering Natick her wheel began to squeal abruptly and forced her to stop racing prematurely.

Squeaking may have been caused by her gloves slipping onto her wheels, exacerbated by wet weather conditions. But with an Allen wrench she was able to tighten her axle and return to racing, according to CBS News.

At the end, she managed to break free from a pack that included Madison de Rozario of Australia and Wakako Tsuchida of Japan, running her last four miles with an unofficial time of 1:41:45.

Her victory marks three marathon wins in five years, having also taken first place at both New York City and Chicago marathons in 2022. Additionally, she becomes the first American woman ever to claim victory at Boston in women's wheelchair division.

Kae Ravichandran (Men’s Nonbinary)

The Boston Marathon is one of the premier sporting events, serving as an icon and reminder of sport's transformative power. This year's runners and spectators alike witnessed some of its finest talent race from Hopkinton to Boston on Patriots' Day - an incredible spectacle indeed!

On Monday, more than 30,000 runners and spectators lined the streets of Hopkinton to witness what would be an unparalleled 127th Boston Marathon finish line run.

Organisers of many races have recognized the need to include non-binary divisions as part of making events inclusive for athletes who exist outside of gender binarity, yet much remains to be done to make non-binary inclusion a reality in racing.

To ensure equitable non-binary divisions, race organizers should spend equal time and attention on them as with men's and women's divisions. This includes providing equal awards/prize money/finishing tapes/social media coverage.

Recent years have witnessed road and trail running races take steps forward with regards to inclusion of non-binary runners; however, we still face many barriers for non-binary athletes in marathon races; particularly those who do not identify as either male or female.

Therefore, race organizers should seek education on non-binary inclusion and incorporate non-binary perspectives when making decisions for their events. Once this step has been taken, it's essential that race organizers clearly and transparently demonstrate support of non-binary athletes through communication strategies such as posters or event brochures.

Race organizers should strive to use more neutral language when organizing races. Replace gendered terms like "guys and ladies" with more inclusive terminology like "participants" and "athletes" with "friends," so participants feel more at ease sharing their pronouns without judgment from appearance or gender biases. This creates an inclusive space where individuals feel free to express themselves freely without fear of judgment based on appearance or gender norms.

Race spectators should refrain from making assumptions about a participant's gender based on their name, appearance or experience. Instead they should use terms such as "participants," "athletes," friends" and spectators when speaking of them in conversation; this will create an environment in which athletes and fans alike feel more at ease sharing their pronouns with one another.