Two Canadian elites will be on the start line of the 2020 Boston Marathon

The 2020 Boston Marathon announced its elite lineup on Wednesday morning, and 2018 third-place finisher Krista DuChene, 43, is on the list. DuChene will be returning for her third consecutive Boston Marathon.

DuChene had a strong 2019, with her most recent result coming from the Berlin Marathon, where she won the masters race in 2:32:27–her fastest marathon time since 2015.

The new qualification system for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games allows athletes who’ve placed in the top 10 at a World Major to be considered for entry. If DuChene can have a good day, her placing in Boston could also place her in the conversation for Olympic team selection. The team will be selected at the end of May, only six weeks after the Boston Marathon.

Other women on the elite list are Worknesh Degefa (2:17:41), Des Linden (2:22:38), Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50) and Magdalyne Masai, whose personal best 2:22:16 was from her victory at Toronto in 2019.

In the men’s race, Dylan Wykes, the fifth-fastest Canadian marathoner of all time, will also be on the start line. The former professional runner has been making his way onto the elite scene for the past year and a half. The race that really caught people’s attention was when he became the Canadian 10K champion in 2019.

Other elites to watch are Lawrence Cherono (2:04:06), Lelisa Desisa (2:04:45) and Philemon Rono (a.k.a Baby Police), the three-time STWM champion and Canadian all-comers record-holder, who holds a personal best of 2:05:00.

posted Thursday January 23rd
by Madeleine Kelly