Kawauchi and Linden record shock wins in Boston Marathon

Apr 16, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; Yuki Kawauchi crosses the finish line of the 2018 Boston Marathon winning the men's division. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

BOSTON (Reuters) - Japan's Yuki Kawauchi and America's Desiree Linden ended long droughts for their countries with stunning victories in a wet and windy Boston Marathon on Monday.

Kawauchi ran down defending champion Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya to win in two hours, 15 minutes and 58 seconds. He is the first Japanese man to win the event since 1987.