The Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 16. Runners from all of the United States and the world participated.

Conditions during the race were not desirable, but some of the runners thought it was advantageous because it meant less competition.

“The cold, the wet and the rain — that’s the three worst things you can have, and you have that in one race,” Abdi Abdirahman, a four-time United States Olympian who finished 15th on Monday, said in a New York Times article.

The temperature was about 40 degrees.

Yuki Kawauchi was the winner of the male elite division. He was also the first Japanese to win first place since 1987. He spoke to the New York Times about the environmental factors.

“If they had been regular conditions, it might have been a little bit tougher to beat some of the competition,” Kawauchi said.

Desiree Linden became the first American woman to win since 1985 when she crossed the finish line for the women’s elite division. Linden is a two time Olympian, but this was her first time to win a marathon. However, she has been very close to winning in past marathons in the years 2011 and 2017. Linden spoke to NBC Sports about the experience.

“I love this city,” Linden said. “I love this race, this course. It’s storybook, so I’m thrilled to be here and to get it done.”

During the race, Linden had taken the time to wait for a friend, Shalane Flanagan, who won first place in the New York City Marathon. Linden waited for Flanagan while she went to the bathroom so they could make it to the lead again together.

“When you work together, you never know what’s going to happen,” Linden said. “Helping her helped me and kind of got my legs back from there.”

The first Boston Marathon took place in 1897 on April 19. The marathon now always takes place on the third monday in April.

The wheelchair division of the race was established in 1975. Another important historical event was in 2013, when a terrorist attack occurred during the Boston Marathon. Since then, security has heightened much more than in previous years.

Even through harsh weather conditions, hundreds of people didn’t give up their hope while running through Boston.