Boston Marathon: Elk River native Emma Bates is first American woman to cross finish line

Elk River native finishes 5th in Boston Marathon

The first American across the Boston Marathon finish line, Elk River native Emma Bates was also the 5th contestant to finish. FOX 9’s Kelcey Carlson spoke with her mother Michelle following the excitement.

BOSTON (FOX 9) - Elk River, Minnesota, native Emma Bates was the first American woman to cross the finish line at the 127th Boston Marathon Monday morning, according to unofficial race results.

Bates finished fifth among the women and 44th overall at the race with an unofficial time of two hours, 22 minutes, and 10 seconds — a personal best, and a qualifying time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Hellen Obiri, of Kenya, won the women's race, finishing with an unofficial 2:21:38, while the overall winner was defending champion Evans Chebet of Kenya, who finished with a time of 2:05:54.

Monday's race marked the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013, that killed three people and wounded hundreds more.

This year's race featured a field of more than 30,000 runners from all 50 states and 120 countries.