The damp and windy 2015 Boston Marathon is in the books, with Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa and Kenyan Caroline Rotich taking home the elite titles in tightly-contested races. Here are some key takeaways from the elite fields.
About the men's winner
Desisa is one of the best marathoners in the world, and his win in Boston (2 hours, 9 minutes, 17 seconds) comes just three months after he opened 2015 with a second-place finish (2:05:52) at the Dubai Marathon on Jan. 23.
The only blemish on his overall marathon résumé, which includes the 2013 Boston title, is a DNF (did not finish) in Boston last year that prevented 2015 from being a three-peat.
Here are Desisa's other career marathon finishes:
2013 Dubai Marathon: first, 2:04:45
2013 Boston Marathon: first, 2:10:22
2013 IAAF World Championships: second, 2:10:12
2014 New York City Marathon - second, 2:11:06
Desisa dropped a 14:40 surge from the 35-kilometer mark to 40 kilometers that sealed the deal this time around in Boston.
After the 2013 Boston bombings, Desisa donated his winner's medal back the Boston Athletic Association as a tribute to the victims of the tragedy. When asked about his plans for this year's hardware, Desisa said "This is medal is, I think, for me."
About the women's winner
Rotich put on a sprint in the final meters to finish in 2:24:55, edging Ethiopia's Buzunesh Deba by just four seconds. The win ended a streak of disappointments in her previous World Marathon Majors and world championship races:
2014 Tokyo Marathon: fourth, 2:24:35
2012 Chicago Marathon: fourth, 2:23:22
2012 Boston Marathon: DNF
2011 Boston Marathon - fourth in 2:24:26
2011 IAAF World Championships: 29th, 2:37:07
2011 New York City Marathon: seventh, 2:27:06
2010 New York City Marathon: seventh, 2:29:46
Ritzenhein is back
At the 20K mark, American Dathan Ritzenhein was trailing the lead pack by 15 seconds. By the half-marathon mark, he was leading everyone.
In his Boston Marathon debut, and first marathon since October 2013, Ritzenhein showed flashes of the runner who was the fastest American on the roads in 2012 and 2013. He finished in 2:11:20, seventh overall and the top American in the field.
"I needed to get through this race and have a good one, feel good and enjoy Boston," Ritzenhein said. "After this, it's the trials. It comes so fast. It feels like [the London Games] just happened, so I think that's what I had to do. I have to take a page out of Meb's book."
Ritzenhein said he will take some time off from running, but that preparation for the Olympic trials "begins tomorrow."
Meb falls short
Defending Boston men's champion Meb Keflezighi heard chants of "Repeat! Repeat!" as he ran along the course, and he considered the possibility he might become the the first American since 1978 to repeat as champion.
"I thought I had a shot at it," Meb said.
Keflezighi surged to the front in Mile 8 last year, but he employed a different strategy this time around. He maintained his pace within the lead pack until a late push by Desisa was too much to overcome. Keflezighi stopped five times in the final miles to vomit, and Ritzenhein passed him in the final five kilometers.
"I just wanted to get to that finish line. It took a long time, but I gave it my best today," Keflezighi said.
Keflezighi estimates that he has five marathons left in his professional career, and raised the question himself as to whether this could have been his final Boston Marathon. The 2016 race will be run April 18, which is too soon after the Olympic trials in February of that year to be considered. Keflezighi could conceivably return to Boston in 2017 as his final race.
"I want to do a fall marathon [this year]. I'll be 40, so the pressure is off me to win things," Keflezighi said. "If I can make an Olympic team and compete there at 41, after that marathoning is narrowed down."
Linden's comeback complete
American Desiree Linden finished just two seconds behind winner Caroline Kilel in the 2011 Boston Marathon, then suffered a stress fracture injury after the 2012 London Olympic Games and was sidelined until her return at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. Even entering the 2015 Boston Marathon, she questioned whether she would be able to regain her peak form.
"I'm really proud of myself and you don't get those moments too often," Linden said after finishing fourth this year in 2:25:39. "I'm going to soak it in, be happy, then go back to being a competitor and taking that next leap forward going down Boylston again. Today is just as big as 2011 for me."
Linden bested fellow American Shalane Flanagan (ninth, 2:27:47) over the marathon distance for the first time in their four career marathon meetings. Flanagan is now 9-1 in her career against Linden, including on the track and in other road races, but both can be considered favorites for two of the three Team USA spots up for grabs at the U.S. Olympic marathon trials next year.
"I'm pleased with my race," Linden said. "I have a ton of respect for [Flanagan]. It's a nice feather in the hat for today."
Amy Cragg, considered a strong American contender entering the race, dropped out around Mile 22, meaning that third Olympic spot could be up for grabs.
Jeptoo not missed
Rita Jeptoo -- winner of the past two Boston and Chicago Marathons -- did not return to Boston this year after testing positive for EPO last fall and being suspended as a result. Jeptoo was not missed by her competitors.
Deba finished second to Jeptoo in Boston last year, and was especially pleased by not having the Kenyan in attendance.
"I'm happy she is not here," Deba said. "She cheated. If she was not in the race last year, I win. I'm happy."
Taking Jeptoo out of the equation, the past seven Boston finishes would have been won by six seconds or less, including six by four seconds or less, according to noted track and field statistician Jesse Squire. This year was no different, with Rotich and Dibaba sprinting shoulder-to-shoulder down Boylston Street toward the finish.
For her part, Linden felt things were just fine without Jeptoo.
"It seems to feel back to normal here," Linden said. "I don't necessarily feel there was a void at all."