Lelisa Desisa will almost certainly be keeping his gold medal after reclaiming the Boston Marathon title on Monday.

Ethiopian Desisa last won this famous race in 2013, when his achievements paled into insignificance after two bombs at the finish line killed three spectators and injured hundreds more.

The 25-year-old donated his gold medal back to the city of Boston in the months following the tragedy, honouring the victims and affected families.

However, Desisa will have much happier memories of Boylston Street on this occasion, having broken clear with just a couple of miles to run to take the ribbon in two hours, nine minutes and 17 seconds.

Desisa, who defiantly shouted "strong Boston" during a post-race interview, was followed across the line by compatriot Yemane Tsegay, while Wilson Chebet of Kenya took third.

2014 winner Meb Keflezighi ended the race down in eighth.

In the women's race, Caroline Rotich of Kenya showed great strength in the last 500 feet to pull away from eventual runner-up Mare Dibaba.

The two were neck-and-neck heading into the closing stages, but Dibaba's attempted burst fizzled out, allowing Rotich to cross the finish line in first place, posting a time of two hours, 24 minutes and 55 seconds.

"I have been waiting for this," she said. "When we came through 25 [miles] I thought 'yeah, I want to do this' and I couldn't let it go."

Ethiopia's Buzunesh Deba completed the podium.