Kenya delivered a dominant performance at the 130th Boston Marathon, with John Korir breaking the course record in the men’s race while compatriot Sharon Lokedi successfully defended her women’s title on Monday.
Korir won the men’s race in a stunning time of 2:01:52, smashing the 15-year-old course record previously set in 2011 by Geoffrey Mutai. His performance marked a second consecutive Boston Marathon victory and completed a Kenyan sweep of the top positions.
The race saw all top three finishers in the men’s category running faster than the previous course record. Korir pulled away after the 20-mile mark, leaving Ethiopia’s Milkesha Mengesha behind before running solo for the final six miles.
He capped his performance with a blistering final stretch, recording a last-mile split of 4:26, before crossing the finish line smiling and visibly celebrating his dominant run.
“I knew I would defend my title, but I didn’t know I’d run that fast,” Korir said after the race.
In the women’s race, Sharon Lokedi defended her crown in 2:18:51, improving on her own course record set in 2024. She broke away in the closing stages after holding off fellow Kenyan Loice Chemnung.
Lokedi produced a decisive surge in the final miles, running sub-4:50 splits to secure victory.
“I was just like, ‘let me push it and see how it goes,’” Lokedi said. “I left it all out there.”
Kenyan athletes dominated the women’s field, sweeping the top four positions. American runner Jess McClain placed fifth in 2:20:49, setting a new national record for an American woman at the Boston Marathon.
The race conditions were relatively cool, with temperatures around 45°F (7°C) and a steady tailwind of up to 10 mph (16 km/h), providing favourable running conditions along the historic course.
The results further cement Kenya’s long-standing dominance in elite distance running, particularly in major marathon events worldwide.
