Geoffrey Mutai from Kenya set a new course record, as well as a new world’s best time. The top four men all went under the old course record. Taking advantage of a rare tailwind on Patriots' Day, Mutai outlasted countryman Moses Mosop to win in 2:03:02.
1972 - Women Official Entrants in Marathon
Although Bobbi Gibb was the first woman to complete the Boston Marathon in 1966, it was not until the 1972 Boston Marathon that women could become official entrants due to a change in AAU rules.