Worknesh Degefa Is Fastest Woman in Boston Marathon Field

By Adam Kopet

Worknesh Degefa enters the 123rd Boston Marathon as the fastest woman in the field. She ranks fourth all-time after her 2:17:41 second place finish at January's Dubai Marathon.

However, Degefa has no marathon experience outside of Dubai. Boston will be her first non-Dubai marathon, although she has traveled around the world for half marathon races. She holds a half marathon best of 1:06:14 from the 2016 Prague Half Marathon.

Degefa won her debut marathon in Dubai in 2017, running 2:22:36. She followed that in 2018 with a 2:19:53 fourth place finish.

Despite her marathon success, it must be remembered that Dubai is a flat and fast course. It is completely different from the Boston Marathon course that features large hills, both up and down.

However, Degefa's speed cannot be denied. Her 2:17:41 performance in Dubai is outstanding. The only question is whether she can successfully use that speed in Boston where conditions may not be optimal and where strength can be a bigger asset than speed.