Hayle finished in 2 hours, 12 minutes, 45 seconds to beat defending champion Lelisa Desisa by 47 seconds.
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Gracey, of Superior, Colo., was born into marathoning: Her father was the No. 2 American in Boston in 1989; the next year she was born on race day while he was running.
Baysa finished 44 seconds ahead of fellow Ethiopian Tirfi Tsegaye. His time of a little over 2 hours and 29 minutes in Boston placed him among the top ten American finishers.
Elsewhere, Kenya’s Duncan Maiyo overcame a tightening left hamstring to retain the men’s title at the 2016 Brighton Marathon while compatriot Grace Momanyi made it a Kenyan double as she claimed the women’s crown.
Weather could play a factor as the 26.2-mile race unfolds. The first USA man across the finish line was Zachary Hine of Texas, who finished in 2:21.37.
And, just over the finish line, Harry Moulton kneeled down and produced a black ring box, asking a surprised Kellie Marshall for her hand in marriage.
Tatyana McFadden, from Maryland, won her fourth straight Boston women’s wheelchair race. An eight-time NCAA Division II national champion at Shippensburg (Pa.) University, Gracey and former collegiate rival Sarah Crouch found themselves leading the pack around the 10-kilometer mark. Hayle is just 21-years-old.
Whatever happens with Baysa’s Olympic prospects, her place in Boston Marathon history is already secure.
Both Baysa and Hayle received $150,000 checks for winning their divisions.
“Very hard”, Hayle said through a translator to CNN affiliate WBZ after he won the race.
Keith Crittenden of Goderich ran the Boston Marathon in 3 hours 43 minutes, with Gary Fischer of Mildmay doing it in 3 hours 48 minutes.
Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman, left, acknowledges the crowd as he walks with actor Jake Gyllenhaal before throwing out the first pitch before a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays a… “I’m as stunned as everyone else, ” said Gibb, who served as this year’s Grand Marshall.
“This is a major marathon”, Baysa said through an interpreter.
She skipped the Trials while continuing to rehabilitate the injury, and shifted her focus to her Boston debut.
The effort, part of the company’s “Extra Mile” project, has allowed runners to upload their photos for months now, selecting from a dozen key theme words chosen by Hancock, such as gratitude, passion, psyched, heart, drive, and determination.
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“I think SU set me up to have a successful professional running career”, Gracey said.
