Boston Marathon Betting Odds – Eliud Kipchoge The HEAVY Favorite
By LetsRun.com
April 16, 2023 update: Eliud Kipchoge opened up at EVEN Money on Bovada (article below) but now has been bet down all the way to -500 (83.3%). Benson Kipruto is the 2nd favorite at +900 (10%) and Evans Chebet and Gabriel Geay co #3s at +1200 (7.7%). Advice: At those odds, bet some of the underdogs. If you bet Kipchoge at even money, even put some money on the underdogs.
Odds at 2:20 pm 4/16
You can now also bet on the women’s race for the first time. Amane Beriso is the favorite with Hellen Obiri the second choice.
Original article below:
The world’s greatest marathoner Eliud Kipchoge will be racing in the Boston Marathon for the first time on Monday and it has brought added attention to the race.
Proof? Bovada Sportsbook is offering betting lines on the race for the first time ever.
(If you’re unfamiliar with Bovada, it is an offshore sportsbook licensed in Curacao that accepts US bets from all states except Delaware, Nevada, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey)
Eliud Kipchoge listed at EVEN money
Even crazier than Bovada offering a line on the race thanks to a prompt from LetsRun.com is the fact that Eliud Kipchoge is currently even money.
@BovadaOfficial Can we get odds on the Boston Marathon? Or at the very least @EliudKipchoge to win the Boston Marathon? Over/under winning time. @WhatsYaWager #whatsyawager
— LetsRun.com (@letsrundotcom) April 13, 2023
So if you think Kipchoge, the world’s greatest marathoner, wins this race more than 50% of the time, we’ve got a very easy bet for you. Bet on Kipchoge.
This very question came up on this week’s LetsRun.com’s Track Talk Podcast. Jonathan Gault of LetsRun.com asked this very question:
“I offer you a million dollars and I say, you have to bet this on one of two outcomes. Eliud Kipchoge wins the race or someone else wins the race. Who are you putting your money on?”
LetsRun.com’s Weldon Johnson responded, “Put it like that, Jon. It’s easy. Eliud Kipchoge wins the race. He’ll be better than even money.” (clip below)
Well, it turns out he’s is exactly even money, at least right now on Bovada.
Bovada odds below, as of 9:15 p.m. Eastern on Thursday.
We converted the odds to percentages below.
But do we think Kipchoge wins more than 50% of the time? Yes. LetsRun.com’s Rojo is on the record saying Kipchoge will not win Boston, but said this on the podcast about possible betting odds, “I think I put him at like three out of four, but I’d have to bet no. I’m on record saying he’ll never win the Boston Marathon.”
Kipchoge has defied conventional wisdom in his marathon career. You can cut his marathon career in half and either half is better than anyone else in the history of the world. He’s won 17 of the 19 marathons he’s ever run (counting his sub-2:00 attempts). Conventional wisdom might say he’s past his prime, but he set the world record last year in Berlin at the age of 37 in his most recent marathon.
The only thing he hasn’t done? Win a marathon on a hilly course like Boston. It’s the great unknown.
Over/Under 2:08:30
You can also bet over/under the winning time. The over bet of +115 implies it will happen 46.5% of the time and -150 is 60% of the time. The winning time in Boston is highly dependent on the weather and how fast the athletes attack the opening miles. The under seemed like the obvious bet at first glance with Kipchoge and a loaded field, but the runners are running into a headwind, so be cautious.
Update: LetsRun.com coaching guru John Kellogg, who knows a thing or two about Boston wind, says the head wind will slow things by a little bit more than 2:00 minutes if it stays projected out of the East at 6-7 mph with gusts over 15 mph.
MB: Official John Kellogg Is a Genius Thread (He Predicted The 2:03 on Boston in on)
Bovada even has some prop bets on the celebrities in the race. You can bet on who finishes first between two former Red Sox baseball players, Ryan Dempster or Brock Holt.
And you can bet between former Boston College football star Doug Flutie or Boston Bruin Zdeno Chara.
We have no ideas about these without some analysis but suggest you turn to the LetsRun.com forums for advice.
Check out the current lines at Bovada.lv.
Note: The max bet is $125. We know as Rojo tried to bet his entire account on Kipchoge.
Discussion: Boston Marathon Betting Odds
Remember: Bet for entertainment only. You can lose your ass. Even if Kipchoge is 75% to win the Boston Marathon and you bet him at even money, 1/4 times you lose your bet. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. We receive a commission if you sign up with Bovada through one of our links.
More: All Your 2023 Boston Marathon Coverage Here
Video segment from LetsRun.com Track Talk Podcast set to start with us talking about possible odds on the race.
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