Boston Marathon 2015
Ross Cockerham carries Ansley Proctor, both of Columbia, Maryland, across the finish line of the 119th Boston Marathon. They are to be married on Friday Reuters

Rain, chill and wind were just some of the challenges racers of the 2015 Boston Marathon faced on 20 April. However, after braving the elements for 26.2 miles, Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa and Kenya's Caroline Rotich reached the finish line as this year's marathon winners.

Desisa won his second Boston Marathon with an official time of 2:09:17, beating out fellow Ethiopian Yemane Adhane Tsegay by 31 seconds.

The 25-year-old first won the marathon in 2013, hours before the bombings by two brothers killed three and injured more than 260. In an act of solidarity, Desisa donated his 2013 winner's medal to the city of Boston. Desisa, who is the fourth man to win the Boston Marathon twice, will be able to keep his new medal. In a post-race interview with the Associated Press, Desisa said, "I'm happy for No. 1. I am happy to win and for a strong Boston 2013."

Kenyan Wilson Chebet rounded out the top three in the men's division with an official time of 2:10:22.

Boston Marathon wheelchair race 2015
Marcel Hug of Switzerland crosses the finish line to win the men's wheelchair division of the 119th Boston Marathon Reuters

Rotich, 30, won her first Boston Marathon with an official time of 2:24:55. She edged out Ethiopian Mare Dibaba by a mere four seconds.

According to the Boston Athletic Association, Rotich made her Boston Marathon debut in 2011, when she finished in fourth. "I got to the last corner and I saw the finish line tape and I thought this is it, I'm not going to let it go," she told the AP. "I was like, 'No, not today.' And I kept going."

Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba came in third in the women's division with an official time of 2:25:09.

Boston.com reported American Desiree Linden, who led the women's race, eventually came in fourth place with 2:25:39.

Switzerland and the United States took the top honours in the men's and women's wheelchairs divisions. Swiss Marcel Hug won the men's division with an official time of 1:29:53, while American Tatyana McFadden won the women's division with an official time of 1:52:54. McFadden honoured bombing victim Martin Richard by sporting a "Team MR8" shirt.

In the men's and women's hand cycles races, American Tom Davis (1:17:49) and Italian Francesca Porcellato (1:34:12) came in first.

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