Desiree Linden, Yuki Kawauchi win 2018 Boston Marathon Linden became the first American woman to win the marathon in 33 years, finishing with a time of 2:39:54. Kawauchi becomes the first Japanese man to win the Boston Marathon since 1987, posting a winning time of 2:15:54. Last year’s winners, Geoffrey Kirui and
Edna Kiplagat, finished in 2nd and
8th respectively. This year’s race was run in a torrential downpour and 30-degree temperatures. It is the coldest marathon since 2009, which combined with the rain, made the running conditions look absolutely miserable.