The 129th Boston Marathon, sponsored by Bank of America, will be remembered for its record-breaking speed, sibling rivalry, and emotional moments as Kenyans Sharon Lokedi and John Korir took the women’s and men’s titles for 2025.
Sharon Lokedi fended off a late challenge from two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri to finish in 2:17:22, shattering the previous course record of 2:19:59 set in 2014.
Last year, Obiri claimed victory by making a decisive move with a mile remaining, but this time, Lokedi turned the tables. Although Obiri attempted the same strategy again, Lokedi was prepared and successfully held her off.
“I was like, ‘I’m not going to let her take it today from me, so I just wanted to fight as hard as I could,” said the 31-year-old Kenyan, who won the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon in her debut at the distance. “I’m glad that we had to tough it out together.”
Obiri, who came in second with a time of 2:17:41, and third-place Yalemzerf Yehualaw from Ethiopia, who finished in 2:18:06, both surpassed the old record.
American Des Linden, the 2018 champion who’s competing for the 12th time in Boston, announced on race morning that this would be her final professional marathon.
The 41-year-old completed the race in 2:26:19, her best time in eight years, winning the master’s division and placing 17th among all professional women.
Kenya’s John Korir, whose brother Wesley won the marathon in 2012, broke away from a group of six runners at the 20-mile mark, securing victory in 2:04:45, the second-fastest winning time in the event’s history.
“What came to my mind was, should I stay down, or should I wake up and go,” said Korir, whose day almost ended in the early metres of the race, when he fell after being clipped from behind. “Something told me to wake up and go, and that everything would be OK.”
Korir placed his detached race bib, which held his valuable timing chip, into his shorts and stayed with the leading group until he accelerated near the summit of Heartbreak Hill, creating a sudden gap that left others struggling to catch up.
“We planned that, with my coach and my brother and everyone in my crew,” said the 29-year-old, who last Fall won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon but finished fourth and ninth in Boston in his previous two attempts. “We said that at 20 miles I will try and make the move. And I tried, and it worked well.”
USA’s Conner Mantz, who recently set the American record in the half marathon, narrowly missed the podium, finishing in fourth place behind Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu (2:05:04) and Kenya’s Cybrian Kotut (2:05:04) after a three-way sprint down Boylston.
Mantz’s time of 2:05:08 marked the second-fastest by an American in the history of the race.
In the wheelchair races, Marcel Hug from Switzerland took an early lead over the U.S.’s Daniel Romanchuk, finishing in 1:21:34 for his eighth victory in Boston. Romanchuk, a two-time Boston champion, came in second at 1:25:58, with Jetze Plat from the Netherlands third at 1:30:16.
American Susannah Scaroni initially trailed behind Eden Rainbow-Cooper from Great Britain and Switzerland’s Manuela Schär and Catherine Debrunner until Mile 5. Known for her climbing strength, Scaroni surged ahead just before the Newton Hills to claim her second Boston win in 1:35:20.
Making her debut, 2024 Paralympic gold medalist Debrunner finished second in 1:37:26, while four-time Boston champion Schär took third in 1:39:18.
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit promoting healthy lifestyle through sports and running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon and supports charity, youth, and year-round programming.
Leading Results:
Top Men
- Korir, John – 2:04:45
- Simbu, Alphonce Felix – 2:05:04
- Kotut, Cybrian – 2:05:04
- Mantz, Conner – 2:05:08
- Edris, Muktar – 2:05:59
- Linkletter, Rory – 2:07:02
- Young, Clayton – 2:07:04
- Ramakongoana, Tebello – 2:07:19
- Mateiko, Daniel – 2:07:52
- Ford, Ryan – 2:08:00
Top Women:
- Lokedi, Sharon – 2:17:22
- Obiri, Hellen – 2:17:41
- Yehualaw, Yalemzerf – 2:18:06
- Cheptai, Irine – 2:21:32
- Beriso, Amane – 2:21:58
- Thackery, Calli – 2:22:38
- Mcclain, Jess – 2:22:43
- Frisbie, Annie – 2:23:21
- Ndiwa, Stacy – 2:23:29
- Haileslase, Tsige – 2:23:43
Para Athletics Divisions champions:
- T11/T12 (Vision impairment) – Joyce Cron, 4:09:08 / Wajdi Boukhili, 2:25:12
- T13 (Vision impairment) – Lisa Thompson, 3:42:01 / Andrew Thorsen, 2:47:57
- T20 (Intellectual impairment) – Montana Whiteley, 3:51:43 / Thomas Cantara, 2:37:35
- T35-T38 (Coordination impairment) – Cristina Burbach, 3:46:05 / Joseph Drake, 4:11:17
- T45/T46 (Upper-limb impairment) – Lisa Maciel, 4:06:19 / Atsbha Gebremeskel, 2:57:11
- T61/T63/T43 (Lower-limb impairment) – Meghan Bradshaw, 3:58:15 / Richard Whitehead, 2:56:09
- T62/T64; T42/T44 (Lower-limb impairment) – Kelly Bruno, 3:17:56 / Marko Cheseto Lemtukei, 2:46:24
Meet The Authors
Yomi is the founder and CEO at AthleticsAfrica Inc. - Africa's premier track and field website. A multi award-winning editor, journalism innovator, media trainer, sports and digital transformation consultant.
