Marathon

The 44th running of the San Francisco Marathon took place Sunday.

Judith Corachan finished with the fastest women's time at 2:55.20. Greg Billington completed the 26.2-mile race with the fastest men's time at 2:20.47.

Per runraceresults.com, all race results are unofficial until two weeks after race day.

Weston Strum (2:23.39) and Joseph Darda (2:31.24) rounded out the top three on the men's side. Elena Makarevich (3:10.26) and Emily Haggerty (3:13.02) finished second and third behind Corachan.

Corachan, a pro triathlete, won the Spanish Long Distance Championship in June. She also finished fifth at Challenge Anfi Mogan Gran Canaria in April.

Last year, Corachan took third at the Sitges Half Marathon.

Billington, a triathlete, recently won a gold medal as a sighted guide for Brad Snyder at the Tokyo Summer Paralympic Games in the Paratriathlon PTVI category.

He also won two marathons in 2019: the San Francisco Marathon and the Pyramids Marathon in Egypt.

The 32-year-old also finished 37th at the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials.

After the 2020 San Francisco Marathon was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, things are back to normal in 2021. Well, closer to normal.

There will be an organized marathon taking place, although it's a bit later than usual. Normally, the San Francisco Marathon is held in July, but this year's race was pushed back to September. And not everybody will be running the marathon course, as there is a virtual option for participants.

Also, there will be some areas of the course that will require runners to wear masks because of COVID-19 restrictions on property owned by national parks, which will be marked with signs.

Still, the San Francisco Marathon is back, and that's better than not having it at all. And it should be a fun and exciting weekend for those who are running and for the spectators who go to cheer them on.

Here's everything you need to know about this year's marathon weekend.

       

2021 San Francisco Marathon Information

When: Sunday, Sept. 19

Start Time: 5:40 a.m. PT

Starting location: The waterfront at Mission Street and The Embarcadero

Course maps: Available on TheSFMarathon.com

       

While not all participating runners will be going through the streets of San Francisco at the same time on Sunday morning, there will be enough for the event to cause some road closures in the city. The marathon has also put together some suggested detours to help those driving around San Francisco that day.

All of that information can be found at the marathon's official website.

While the full marathon is the main attraction and will be taking place early Sunday morning, there are plenty of other races and events taking place this weekend. And the festivities will actually get underway Saturday.

There will be a 5K fun run taking place Saturday morning at 9 a.m. PT. The 3.1-mile race takes place within the Presidio and will feature plenty of great sights, including the bay, Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. For those looking to do a shorter race, this is always a fun event.

Everything else will be taking place Sunday. After the full marathon gets underway, there will also be two half marathons, a 10K and a 5K. This gives people of various skill levels the opportunity to get involved in the event and take in everything San Francisco has to offer while on a run.

For those signing up for a virtual race, it can be completed any time between Friday at noon PT and Monday at noon PT. Participants will download the Virtual San Francisco Marathon app to participate.

Those who run the virtual race can then use the app to see how they stack up against other participants.

At the conclusion of the races, there will be some more noticeable differences. There won't be a beer garden or sponsor activities, and results will only be available online. According to the event's website, the post-race festival will be "limited to essential elements only: finish chute, medical support, pickup of challenge medals, shirt exchange and race day information."

The San Francisco Marathon has a long history, as the event was first held in 1977. The course has undergone changes over the years, with the most notable coming in 2002, when the full marathon added a run across the Golden Gate Bridge to the course route.

Since then, the men's record belongs to Francois Lhuissier of France (2 hours, 25 minutes and 15 seconds) and the women's mark is owned by Anna Bretan of the United States (2:42:26), both of whom set their records in 2013.

Don't get too used to the San Francisco Marathon taking place in September, though, as next year's race has already been announced for July 24, 2022. 

Li Zuobi, Jingtai County Communist Party Secretary, died while under investigation for his involvement in the deaths of 21 marathon runners. 

Per the Associated Press, China Central Television reported that police were "notified Wednesday that a man had jumped from his apartment and died."

An investigation into the death determined the person was Li. CCTV added that homicide has been ruled out. 

Li's death comes less than one month after 21 ultra-marathon runners died when extreme weather conditions, including freezing rain, hail stones and gale winds, developed in the Gansu Province during the 62-mile race. 

Per GlobalTimes.cn, the weather conditions resulted in "discomfort and hypothermia among marathoners." 

A total of 172 people participated in the event, with the Global Times noting on May 23 that 151 have been confirmed to be safe and 21 found dead after rescue efforts were set up to search for the missing runners. 

According to the AP report, the Gansu provincial government issued punishments to 27 officials over a lack of proper planning for the May 22 race.

Li was ruled exempt from discipline after his death, but his deputy, Zhang Wenling, was fired and two "lower-ranking officials were detained pending a further investigation."

At least 21 athletes died while competing in an ultramarathon in China Saturday, according to John Bacon of USA Today.

The Huanghe Shilin Mountain Marathon is a 62-mile race in Baiyin City, Gansu Province, but this year's version saw a dramatic shift in weather in the mountains. There was reportedly hail, freezing rain and gales that unexpectedly hit the runners, who were wearing shorts and T-shirts at the time.

"Participants suffered from physical discomfort and loss of temperature due to the sudden drop in air temperature," Chinese state media reported.

Three-time race winner Liang Jing was among those who died.

The event was halted after multiple competitors posted videos in a group chat requesting help, leading to a search-and-rescue operation with over 1,200 workers. Eight people were hospitalized but in stable condition while 151 participants are accounted for after rescue efforts.

Baiyin City Mayor Zhang Xuchen announced there would be an investigation into the tragedy.

The 50th running of the New York City Marathon will be held on Nov. 7 with a field of 33,000 runners, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). 

The race, which was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will "showcase our great city's strength, inspiration, and determination," race director Ted Metellus said Monday. 

The New York Road Runners association said 54 percent of those who registered for 2020's race before it was canceled will participate this year. 

Last year's registrants were offered either a refund of their sign-up fee or a guaranteed entry in either the 2021, 2022 or 2023 edition of the NYC Marathon.

Per the AP's report, "NYRR's guidelines for the marathon will include social distancing, elimination of touchpoints, enhanced health and safety protocols, and testing and tracing. Runners should be prepared to provide a negative COVID-19 test result or proof of a complete vaccination series before running."

The 2019 edition saw Geoffrey Kamworor win for the second time in the men's race, while Joyciline Jepkosgei won the women's division. The race did hold a virtual event in 2020, with Kevin Quinn and Stephanie Bruce coming out on top. 

The U.S. Supreme Court announced it's agreed to hear a case about whether convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should have his death penalty sentence reinstated.

Mark Sherman of the Associated Press reported Monday that Tsarnaev, who was found guilty in 2015 on all 30 charges brought against him related to the bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured hundreds more, had the death penalty revoked by an appeals court in July.

Although the appeals court upheld most of the charges against Tsarnev, it ruled the judge in the original case "did not do enough to ensure the jury would not be biased against him" and removed the death sentence.

Even if the Supreme Court votes to reinstate capital punishment against Tsarnaev, who was a student at UMass Dartmouth at the time of the bombings, President Joe Biden would have to schedule execution since it's a federal charge. Biden has argued for an end to the death penalty, per Sherman.

In July, Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson wrote on behalf of the three-judge panel that their ruling didn't mean Tsarnaev had any chance of a return to freedom.

"But make no mistake: Dzhokhar will spend his remaining days locked up in prison, with the only matter remaining being whether he will die by execution," Thompson wrote.

One of Tsarnaev's lawyers, defense attorney Judy Clarke, didn't dispute the fact her client was involved in the attack during the 2015 trial—"It was him," she said during her opening statement—but instead argued he was influenced to commit the act of terror by his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Tamerlan died in 2013 when he was wounded during a gunfight with police and was then run over by his brother in a getaway vehicle.

Clarke urged jurors to "choose life" during closing arguments of the trial's penalty phase rather than sentencing Tsarnaev to death.

"He was not the worst of the worst, and that's what the death penalty is reserved for," she said.

Tsarnaev was sentenced to death in May 2015 before the ruling was overturned on appeal last year.

Boston Marathon legend Dick Hoyt died Wednesday at the age of 80. 

CBS Boston reported the news. 

The Boston Athletic Association issued a statement on Hoyt's death, explaining how inspirational he was to so many as he pushed his son Rick—who was born with spastic quadriplegia and cerebral palsy—in a racing chair while completing 32 Boston Marathons:

"The B.A.A. is tremendously saddened to learn of the passing of Boston Marathon icon Dick Hoyt. Dick personified what it meant to a be a Boston Marathoner, showing determination, passion, and love every Patriots' Day for more than three decades. He was not only a fan-favorite who inspired thousands, but also a loyal friend and father who took pride in spending quality time with his son Rick while running from Hopkinton to Boston.

"As a leader of Team Hoyt, Dick Hoyt and his son Rick quickly became Boston Marathon legends after their first run in 1980. Pushing Rick in a custom racing chair, Dick and Rick completed 32 Boston Marathons together, including a final finish in 2014. The pair's bond and presence throughout the course became synonymous with the Boston Marathon. Team Hoyt's 1,000th race together came at the 2009 Boston Marathon, and in 2015 Dick served as Grand Marshal of the race in recognition of his impact on the event and Para Athlete community.

"Dick Hoyt was one-of-a-kind. We will sincerely miss Dick, and are keeping his many family and friends in our thoughts and prayers."

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh also reacted to the news:

I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dick Hoyt, a @bostonmarathon legend. Dick epitomized what it means to be Boston Strong and inspired so many along the way.

Boston will always miss you. Rest In Peace, my friend. https://t.co/VfL0uFpnYy

— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) March 17, 2021

Christina Prignano, Travis Andersen and Katie McInerney of the Boston Globe noted the Hoyts participated in more than 1,000 road races, marathons and triathlons. Dick was named the grand marshal of the Boston Marathon in 2015 and ran his final one in 2014.

Both Dick and Rick Hoyt were recognized with a bronze statue near the Boston Marathon starting line in 2013.

The Boston Marathon has been scheduled for Oct. 11, marking the second year in a row—and the second year in its history—that it will not be held in April. 

The race is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, a Massachusetts state holiday that falls on the third Monday in April. This year's race has been postponed to the fall in hopes that it will allow for an in-person event amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Massachusetts does not allow road races until Phase 4 of its reopening plan, which will not begin until there is the "development of vaccines and/or treatments" against the virus. The state is currently in Phase 3, Step 1.

In 2020, the race was postponed from April to Sept. 14, then canceled altogether for the first time since it began in 1897. There was a virtual marathon instead, and participants were required to complete a marathon in six hours between Sept. 7-14. 

According to Boston Athletic Association's announcement, there will also be a virtual option for this year's race. 

All of the other Abbott World Marathon Majors are also scheduled for the fall, including Berlin (Sept. 26), London (Oct. 3), Chicago (Oct. 10), Tokyo (Oct. 17) and New York City (Nov. 7). 

The 2021 Boston Marathon has been postponed until at least next fall, a six-month delay from its traditional April date. 

An annual staple of the city's Patriot's Day schedule—held on the third Monday in April—the Boston Athletic Association announced its decision to place the marathon on hold on the advice of its COVID-19 Medical and Event Operations Advisory Group as the state continues to battle the pandemic. 

"With fewer than six months until Patriots’ Day and with road races prohibited until Phase 4 of the Massachusetts reopening plan, we are unable to host the Boston Marathon this coming April," BAA CEO Tom Grilk said in a statement. "By shifting our focus to a fall date, we can continue to work with stakeholders to adjust the in-person experience for runners and supporters alike. Prioritizing the safety of participants, volunteers, spectators, and community members, we continue to assess all elements of the race including a potential reduced field size or weekend date."

This is the second time the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the Boston Marathon. The 124th running last year was canceled—then held virtually—as cases soared last spring.  

Organizers are hopeful they can avoid a similar fate in 2021 by delaying the race. A new date is expected to be confirmed by the end of the year. 

"We are optimistic that the Boston Marathon will continue its tradition of celebrating the spirit of community and athletic excellence next fall," Grilk said. "We know there will be many questions and we will look to address them in the coming months ahead."

The death sentence of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was vacated by the U.S. Appeals Court on Friday. 

According to Melissa Hanson of MassLive.com, three other convictions against Tsarnaev were reversed as well because of errors made by the judge in the form of the judge not meeting Patriarca standards and not granting Tsarnaev's post-trial motion for judgments of acquittal.

Despite the vacation of the death sentence and three reversed convictions, Tsarnaev will still spend the rest of his life in prison, as explained in the decision:

"And just to be crystal clear: Because we are affirming the convictions and the many life sentences imposed on those remaining counts [which Dzhokhar has not challenged], Dzhokhar will remain confined to prison for the rest of his life, with the only question remaining being whether the government will end his life by executing him."

Per ESPN Radio's Chris Villani, a new trial will be needed to determine whether Tsarnaev will be put to death.

Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, placed pressure-cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013. The bombs killed three people and injured hundreds more.

Dzhokhar was 19 years old at the time and his brother was 26. Tamerlan died days after the bombing during a shootout with police.

The younger Tsarnaev brother was later found hiding in a boat in the backyard of a residence in Watertown, Massachusetts, and was subsequently arrested.

Tsarnaev was found guilty of all 30 charges against him in 2015 and was later sentenced to death before the sentence was vacated Friday.