Sharon Lokedi and John Korir Set Records in Kenyan Sweep at 2025 Boston Marathon
Kenya dominated the 2025 Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21 with Sharon Lokedi and John Korir both setting course records in a thrilling display of endurance and strategy. Lokedi broke the women’s record in a dramatic showdown with Hellen Obiri, while Korir pulled away late to seal his own historic win—and a family milestone.
Sharon Lokedi Breaks Course Record in Women’s Race
Sharon Lokedi won the women’s race in 2:17:22, smashing the previous course record of 2:19:59 set by Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba in 2024.
Lokedi battled two-time Boston champion Hellen Obiri in a gripping duel through the final miles in downtown Boston. With just over a mile to go, Lokedi surged ahead and never looked back, finishing 19 seconds clear. Obiri clocked 2:17:41 for second place, while Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw took third in 2:18:06.
This marks Lokedi’s second victory at a World Marathon Major, following her 2022 New York City win (2:23:23). Since then, she has consistently performed on the global stage—third in New York (2023), second behind Obiri in last year’s Boston Marathon (2:22:45), and fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympics (2:23:14). A former NCAA champion at the University of Kansas, Lokedi has now firmly established herself among the world’s elite.
Lokedi said:
“It feels so good. It was tough. I noticed at halfway the pace was really fast—record pace. I thought it might be too fast before the hills. I’m always second to Obiri and today I told myself, ‘No way.’ I just had to fight to the end and see what happens. I’m so glad I pushed through.”
John Korir Makes History in Men’s Race
John Korir won the men’s race in 2:04:45, obliterating the course record and earning his second World Marathon Major title after his 2:02:44 win in Chicago last year.
A lead pack including Sisay Lemma, Patrick Tiernan, Conner Mantz, Evans Chebet, Clayton Young, and Korir hit the halfway mark in 1:01:52. Lemma, last year’s winner, dropped out at 27 km.
Korir made his move around 32 km, pulling away from Mantz, Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu, and Kenya’s Cibryan Kotut. By the final stretch, he held a commanding lead of over 50 seconds.
His victory carries special meaning—he and his older brother Wesley Korir, the 2012 champion, are now the first siblings to win the Boston Marathon.
Korir said: “I expected my brother at the finish line. I had promised him I’d win, and I made it. It was special. He gave me advice on how to handle the course. Now I can joke with him—I’m the fastest in the family.”
Simbu and Kotut both clocked 2:05:04, with Simbu edging second place. Mantz narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in a personal best 2:05:08—his previous best was 2:07:47 in Chicago last year. Mantz also placed eighth in Paris 2024 (2:08:12) and eleventh in Boston in 2023 (2:10:25).
