Defending champions John Korir and Sharon Lokedi achieved a Kenyan double in the Boston Marathon this Monday, after performing authentic tactical masterpieces that earned them consecutive victories in the 130th edition of this prestigious race.
Korir took advantage of the perfect conditions of the day to claim the fourth marathon victory of his career, through an outstanding performance that allowed him to win the men’s event with a course record.
The 29-year-old defending champion bided his time before pulling away from Ethiopian Milkesa Mengesha after kilometer 32 to finish with a time of 2:01:52. Korir’s record shattered the previous circuit record (2:03:02), set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011.
The Tanzanian world champion, Alphonce Simbu, finished second with a time of 2:02:47, after surpassing the Kenyan Benson Kipruto in a sprint (2:02:50) in the final stretch.
Korir’s second victory in Boston adds to his triumphs at the Chicago Marathon in 2024 and the Valencia Marathon last December. This calm victory was a stark contrast to his performance the previous year, when the Kenyan fell early in the race, only to recover and achieve a memorable victory.
“This year was a piece of cake for me because I didn’t have any problems at the beginning or at the end,” Korir said after the race. “I felt like I was racing at home, with all the people cheering me on. I had in mind to beat the circuit record and I thank God for having fulfilled my wishes,” he added.
Lokedi appeals to patience
Korir’s resounding victory in the men’s division was replicated in the elite women’s event, in which Sharon Lokedi crossed the finish line in 2:18:51. The 32-year-old distance runner achieved her third victory in a top-level marathon after escaping a tight group of about a dozen runners in the final kilometers.
Lokedi took the lead alone after kilometer 34.9 with his compatriots Loice Chemnung and Irine Cheptai at his side, and then accelerated again to lead with an eight-second advantage over Chemnung just after kilometer 37.
The runner showed no signs of fatigue in the final stretches and led by 33 seconds entering the last thousand meters, before giving one last sprint to complete her third victory in a Majorafter those achieved in New York (2022) and Boston (2025).
Chemnung finished in second place, 44 seconds behind, while Mary Ngugi-Cooper was third with a time of 2:20:07.
Lokedi stated that patience was the key to her success and revealed that the encouragement of a young admirer helped her make the final push. “I felt so good… I kept telling myself: ‘be patient, be humble, you can do it,'” the Kenyan said. “And then I saw a little girl who shouted, ‘You got it, girls!’ It was a sweet gesture and it was just what I needed.”
