Degefa and Cherono win 123rd Boston Marathon

"I kept on focusing. And at the end, I was the winner. I'm so grateful, so happy," said Cherono, who had won in Seville, Prague, Honolulu and twice in Amsterdam but never in a major marathon before.

Kenneth Kipkemoi, also from Kenya, finished third in 2:08:07.

The top 10 witnessed seven Kenyans, one Ethiopian, and two Americans -- Scott Fauble and Jared Ward, who finished seventh and eighth respectively.