Kenya's Sharon Lokedi, John Korir Win Boston Marathon
Lokedi, who finished second in 2024, went a step further and surged ahead of two-time defending champ Hellen Obiri in the final stretch, finishing in an unofficial time of 2:17:22.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
The Kenyan athletic duo of John Korir and Sharon Lokedi on Monday, April 21 clinched victory in the 2025 Boston Marathon.
In the women's race, Lokedi, who finished second in 2024, went a step further and surged ahead of two-time defending champ Hellen Obiri in the final stretch, finishing in an unofficial time of 2:17:22. That performance shattered the previous course record of 2:19:59, set by Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba in 2014.
Obiri, who came in 19 seconds later, was aiming to become the first woman to win three straight Boston Marathons since Ethiopia’s Fatuma Roba pulled it off from 1997 to 1999, something Lokedi has now denied her from doing.
Hellen Obiri in action during the 2024 Boston Marathon on April 15, 2024. /SPRINGBAK INC.
Last year, Obiri defended her Boston Marathon title, crossing the finish line at a time of 2:22.37. She became the first woman to win back-to-back titles since Catherine Ndereba who did it in 2004 and 2005. At the time, she led a Kenya 1-2-3 sweep with Lokedi and Edna Kiplagat clinching the second and third positions, respectively.
Meanwhile, Korir, who also won the 2024 Chicago Marathon, clocked 2:04:45—making it the second-fastest men’s winning time in Boston Marathon history, only behind Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai’s 2:03:03 set in 2011.
He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, former Cherang'any MP Wesley Korir, by winning the 2025 Boston Marathon in a blazing 2:04:45. Wesley previously claimed the title back in 2012.
For the 28-year-old, the third attempt was the charm—after placing fourth in 2024 and ninth in 2023, he finally clinched the win.
Ahead of the race, Korir revealed he called up his brother for some winning wisdom. That strategy paid off—he pulled ahead of the pack at the 33-kilometre mark and never looked back. By the 35-kilometre point, he had built a solid 19-second lead and coasted to what became his second marathon win.
Meanwhile, Tanzanian runner Alphone Simbu edged out Kenyan debutant Cybrian Kotut in a nail-biting photo finish for second place, both crossing the line in 2:05:04.
"Congratulations, John Korir on winning the men's Boston Marathon with a dominant performance despite an earlier setback in the race. Kudos too, Sharon Lokedi, for shattering the course record in the women's race," Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen led in the congratulatory messages for Lokedi and Korir.
"Big up to Hellen Obiri for coming 2nd and Cybrian Kotut for finishing 3rd in the women's and men's races, respectively. You all displayed the indomitable Kenyan spirit, and we couldn't be more proud of you. Hats off!"
Boston Marathon History
Boston Marathon remains the oldest marathon in the United States (US) and the second oldest in the world, after Osaka-Lake Biwa Marathon.
The men’s race was previously a preserve of Americans, who won it 45 times from 1897 to 1988, with Canadians, Europeans and Asians claiming the other titles until Africans took over. The first African man to win it was Kenya’s Ibrahim Hussein, who clocked 2:08:43 in 1988, and it seems to have opened the door for his country to dominate the race.
Since then, 25 of the 35 titles have gone to Kenyan men, including 10 straight from 1992-2000, while runners from the East African nation have also won five of the last six, among them titles from 2019 to 2023.
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