In his debut over the marathon distance , he made one of the fastest ever debuts by winning the 2013 Dubai Marathon in a time of 2:04:45 hours . He was surprised by the quick time and said he would like to make a world record attempt in the future . Three months later , in the 2013 Boston Marathon , he took the victory in a time of 2:10:22 . Desisa was not hurt in the Boston Marathon bombing that occurred after his victory because the bombing took place nearly 3 hours after he passed through the finish line . Desisa later , in a widely acclaimed gesture , returned his 2013 Boston Marathon winner medal back to the city , in order to honor the victims of the bombings
Boston Marathon bombing
Boston Marathon bombing
Lelisa Desisa