The runners are off in the Commonwealth.

The 128th running of the Boston Marathon kicked off Monday morning with participants making the long journey from Hopkinton, Massachusetts to the finish line on Boylston Street in Boston.

In the elite men's group, Ethiopian Sisay Lemma denied Evans Chebet, 35, of his third straight victory. The Kenyan would have been only the fifth man in the race's more than 125-year history to win in three straight years.

Kenyan Hellen Obiri defended her title from an elite women's field that race organizers described as "historically fast."

CJ Albertson, Emma Bates finish as top Americans

CJ Albertson and Emma Bates wound up as the top American finishers for the men's and women's divisions, respectively, at the 2024 Boston Marathon.

Albertson finished with an unofficial time of 2:09.53, ahead of fellow American men Elkhanah Kibet and Ryan Eiler.

Bates, who actually led the women's race early and midway through, was the top American woman with a time of 2:27.14, but Sara Hall (2:27.58) and Desiree Linden (2:28.27) weren't far behind.

Hellen Obiri wins second consecutive Boston Marathon

Kenyan Hellen Obiri has gone back-to-back.

The 34-year-old crossed the finish line first for the second consecutive year. Obiri, who finished with an unofficial time of 2:22.37, broke away from a group of almost a dozen women and showed her dominance in the final stretch through Brookline and down Kenmore Square to get the win.

Sharon Lokedi finished in second and Edna Kiplagat came home third.

Sisay Lemma holds on for surprising men's victory

Ethiopian Sisay Lemma denied Evans Chebet of a historic third-straight victory with an unofficial time of 2:06.17 to win the elite men's division of the 2024 Boston Marathon. Chebet finished in third place.

The win is Lemma's first at Boston. The 33-year-old previously notched victories at London in 2021 and Valencia in 2023.

Lemma, who finished 30th at Boston last year, was less than four minutes off the course record set by Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai (2:03:02) in 2011.

Rainbow Cooper wins women's wheelchair

Rainbow Cooper, a 22-year-old from Great Britain, was the first in the women's wheelchair division to cross the finish line with an unofficial time of 1:35:11 in just her second Boston Marathon.

The race is the second to be decided during the 2024 Boston Marathon, with Marcel Hug winning the men's wheelchair division with a course record 1:15:32.

The elite men are expected to finish around 11:38 a.m. ET with the first women about 45 minutes later.

Marcel Hug defends men's wheelchair, breaks own course record

Marcel Hug did it again.

The "Silver Bullet," nicknamed for his trademark silver helmet, broke his own course record to defend his Boston Marathon title in the men's wheelchair division with an unofficial time of 1:15:32. The win marks his seventh Patriots' Day victory.

Hug broke the course record by a minute during his 2023 win and shaved off another 30 seconds Monday.

Elite men, women off and running

The elite men and women's groups are making their way through Hopkinton, the first leg of the long cross-Commonwealth journey.

American Emma Bates jumped out to an early lead in the women's pack, as did Ethiopian Sisay Lemma for the men.

The leaders in the men's group are expected to finish around 11:38 a.m. ET, while the first women finishers should cross the line during the noon hour.

2024 Boston Marathon start time

Participants in the marathon will be sent off in waves. The starting order is as follows:

All times are ET

  • 9:02 a.m. Men’s wheelchair
  • 9:05 a.m. Women’s wheelchair
  • 9:30 a.m. Handcycles and duos
  • 9:37 a.m. Elite men
  • 9:47 a.m. Elite women
  • 9:50 a.m. Para athletics divisions
  • 10 a.m. Wave 1
  • 10:25 a.m. Wave 2
  • 10:50 a.m. Wave 3
  • 11:15 a.m. Wave 4

How to watch, live stream 2024 Boston Marathon

The 2024 Boston Marathon will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and available to stream via ESPN+ and fuboTV. Those in the Boston area can also watch marathon coverage on WCVB-TV.

What is Patriots' Day?

Patriots' Day is a state holiday in Massachusetts commemorating the start of the Revolutionary War. It is held annually on the third Monday in April, the same day as the Boston Marathon.

MLB also schedules a morning game for the Boston Red Sox each Patriots' Day while the Boston Marathon is running less than a mile from Fenway Park. The Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians are scheduled for an 11:10 a.m. ET first pitch Monday.

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