Sharon Lokedi of Kenya obliterated the course record at the Boston Marathon by more than two minutes Monday, using a blistering kick down the stretch to win in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 22 seconds.
Lokedi, the runner-up at last year’s Boston Marathon, was neck-and-neck with two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri as they weaved through the streets of downtown Boston in the final mile. But as the finish line neared, Lokedi gradually began to pick up her pace, ultimately winning the race by 19 seconds.
‘It feels so good,’ Lokedi told ESPN2 in a televised interview after the win. ‘It was tough, and I toughed it out.’
Meanwhile, in the men’s race, Kenyan John Korir used a strong move around Mile 20 to separate himself from the rest of the leaders and win in 2:04:45. Korir, who also won last year’s Chicago Marathon, joins his older brother, Wesley, as the first siblings to win the Boston Marathon. Wesley Korir won Boston in 2012 and was waiting for his brother at the finish line.
‘I had promised (Wesley) that I was going to win,’ the younger Korir said on ESPN2.
Team USA’s Conner Mantz spent much of the day in the lead pack and finished in 2:05:08 to place fourth, which is the best showing by an American man since 2018. Last year’s champion, Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia, dropped out after the halfway point.
Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Susannah Scaroni won the men’s and women’s wheelchair races, respectively.
The story of the day, though, was Lokedi — and a course record left in shambles at what is the world’s oldest annual marathon.
The 31-year-old Lokedi started off in the middle of a lead pack of about 14 to 16 women. She said on ESPN2 that she noticed around the halfway point that they had gotten off to a blistering pace and would be on track to beat the course record. ‘Jesus,’ she said she thought to herself as she saw their half marathon times of under 69 minutes. ‘That’s so fast.’
Lokedi was asked on ESPN2 if she feared that she might have gotten out too fast, especially ahead of the treacherous hills in the second half of the course.
‘Yes, yes, all the time,’ she said with a smile.
As the leading pack dwindled from more than a dozen runners to five, and then just three, it looked like the race would come down to a last-mile sprint between Lokedi and Obiri − a two-time Olympic silver medalist at 5,000 meters, who first made a name for herself on the track.
It would have seemed that Obiri would have the advantage. But instead, it was Lokedi who began turning the proverbial screws − and getting the course record in the process. Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia set the previous course record of 2:19:59 in 2014.
Jess McClain was the top-finishing American in the field, placing seventh in 2:22:43. An American woman has not won the Boston Marathon since Des Linden in 2018, and the U.S. men’s drought goes back even further to 2014.
Here’s everything else you might have missed from the 2025 Boston Marathon:
Boston Marathon results, leaderboard
Here are the results from the 129th edition of the Boston Marathon:
Women’s professional
- Sharon Lokedi, Kenya: 2:17:22
- Hellen Obiri, Kenya: 2:17:41
- Yalemzerf Yehualaw, Ethiopia: 2:18:06
- Irene Cheptai, Kenya: 2:21:32
- Amane Beriso, Ethiopia: 2:21:58
- Calli Hauger-Thackery, Great Britain: 2:22:38
- Jess McClain, United States: 2:22:43
- Annie Frisbie, United States: 2:23:21
- Stacy Ndiwa, Kenya: 2:23:29
- Tsige Haileslase, Ethiopia: 2:23:43
Men’s professional
- John Korir, Kenya: 2:04:45
- Alphonce Felix Simbu, Tanzania: 2:05:04 (photo finish)
- Cybrian Kotut, Kenya: 2:05:04 (photo finish
- Conner Mantz, USA: 2:05:08
- Muktar Edris, Ethiopia: 2:05:59
- Rory Linkletter, Canada: 2:07:02
- Clayton Young, United States: 2:07:04
- Tebello Ramakongoana, Lesotho: 2:07:19
- Daniel Mateiko, Kenya:
- Ryan Ford, United States: 2:08:00
Men’s wheelchair
- Marcel Hug, Switzerland: 1:21:34
- Daniel Romanchuk, United States: 1:25:58
- Jetze Plat, Netherlands: 1:30:16
Women’s wheelchair
- Susannah Scaroni, United States: 1:35:20
- Catherine Debrunner, Switzerland: 1:37:26
- Manuela Schar, Switzerland: 1:39:18
Track Boston Marathon runners online
If you’re trying to keep tabs on a specific amateur runner, visit BAA.org and search for them by name, bib number or group. You can also download the Boston Athletic Association’s mobile app and track runners that way.
Conner Mantz is top U.S. finisher in fourth
Conner Mantz just missed out on the Boston Marathon podium. But with his fourth-place finish, he turned in the best performance by an American man in Boston since 2018.
‘Today was difficult for sure, but it was a blast to be in Boston and compete with the best in the world,’ Mantz said on ESPN2. ‘Tough for sure. I was happy to be there fighting for second with about a quarter-mile to go. The harder I tried, the slower I started to run at the end. The other two guys were just really strong.’
Mantz didn’t run in Boston last year but finished 11th in 2023, two spots behind John Korir. He said on ESPN2 that the conditions were more favorable Monday, and he felt more fit than two years ago.
Mantz also noted he ran with John Korir for much of the race in 2023, so seeing the Kenyan win Monday gives him confidence.
‘I think going forward this is a race I can win,’ Mantz said. ‘I made some big progress from two years ago.’
Who is Jess McClain?
Jess McClain, 33, was the top-placing American woman at Monday’s Boston Marathon, finishing seventh with a time of 2:22:43.
It was a personal best time for the former Stanford runner − and a breakout of sorts. McClain narrowly missed out on making the 2024 U.S. Olympic team by finishing fourth in two separate events: The marathon and 10,000 meters. The top three Americans in each distance usually represent Team USA.
Monday’s race was just McClain’s fifth marathon.
Boston Marathon qualifying times 2026
How do you qualify for the Boston Marathon? The short answer is that you have to first run a different marathon and hit the qualifying standard determined by the Boston Athletic Association. The qualifying times vary based on gender and age group, but for those under 50 this year, it meant running a marathon in 3 hours, 25 minutes or better (for men) or 3:55 (for women and non-binary runners).
Given the incredible amount of interest in the Boston Marathon, however, it’s not just about clearing the qualifying benchmark for your age/gender. The BAA said 12,324 qualified applicants for the 2025 race were turned away, with only the fastest in each division being accepted.
The 2026 Boston Marathon qualifying times have already been posted. They’re 5 minutes faster than this year’s times.
Defending men’s champ Sisay Lemma drops out
ESPN reported that defending Boston Marathon champion Sisay Lemma pulled over to the side of the course before the 30-kilometer mark and has dropped out of the men’s race.
The Ethiopian had the fastest personal best in the men’s field, having run a 2:01:48 in Valencia, Spain in 2023.
Where to watch the Boston Marathon: TV channel, streaming
ESPN2 had live television coverage of the 2025 Boston Marathon from 9 a.m. ET to 12:30 p.m. ET, with simultaneous coverage on the network’s streaming platform, ESPN+.
Stream the Boston Marathon on ESPN+
Marcel Hug wins eighth men’s wheelchair title at Boston Marathon
Was there ever really any doubt?
For the eighth time in 10 years, the men’s wheelchair race at the Boston Marathon has the same champion: Marcel Hug of Switzerland. Hug jumped out to a lead of more than a minute by the halfway point of the race and cruised to another win, crossing the finish line with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes and 34 seconds.
Daniel Romanchuk of the United States, who is the only man to have beaten Hug in Boston over the past decade, finished a distant second, more than four minutes behind.
Susannah Scaroni claims second women’s wheelchair title in three years
The women’s wheelchair race at the Boston Marathon also proved to be fairly anticlimactic, with Team USA’s Suannah Scaroni pulling away in the back half and winning by a healthy margin. Her time of 1:35:20 was two minutes better than runner-up Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland.
Scaroni, who earned four medals at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, has now won two of the past three editions of the Boston Marathon.
Des Linden announces retirement after today’s Boston Marathon
American marathoner Des Linden, who was the most recent U.S. runner to win the Boston Marathon in 2018, announced that she would be retiring from the distance after today’s race.
‘People say you should go out on top, and that’s what I’m doing − because getting to race my final professional marathon in Boston is indeed going out on top,’ Linden wrote on Instagram early Monday morning. ‘I’m ready to leave it all out on the course one last time. See you on Boylston. Thanks for all the years and all the cheers.’
Linden finished 17th.
Brooks, the running company that sponsors Linden, told industry news outlet Runner’s World that the 41-year-old is retiring from pro marathoning but not running altogether. She will instead shift to ultramarathons and trail races.
Linden has long been one of the United States’ top marathon runners, with three world marathon medals to her name. She also competed twice at the Summer Olympics, competing in the marathon in both 2012 and 2016.
Boston Marathon route, map
The race begins at the starting line in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. It takes runners on a scenic journey through Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline before ending in downtown Boston, at the iconic finish line on Boylston Street.
Tribute to Al Trautwig
A brief tribute to Al Trautwig, a longtime Boston Marathon commentator, was played during the broadcast of the race.
Trautwig, who was a mainstay for Olympics coverage, the MSG Network and several other sports, died in February at age 68.
When did the 2025 Boston Marathon start?
It depends on the race. The starting gun went off for the professional men at 9:37 a.m., followed by the women at 9:47 a.m. But there were other starts before, and there will be others after, as well.
The first athletes to hit the course were the men’s and women’s wheelchair racers, who started at 9:06 a.m. and 9:09 a.m., respectively. The start for handcycles and duos was at 9:30 a.m. ET. And after the pros got going, para athletes (9:50 a.m. ET start) and four waves of amateurs followed.
Who were the favorites to win the Boston Marathon?
There was no shortage of contenders in both the men’s and women’s fields.
On the women’s side, the favorite was probably Hellen Obiri. The 35-year-old is still relatively new to marathoning but has quickly established herself as a force. She’s won each of the previous two editions of the Boston Marathon and could have become the first woman to three-peat since Fatuma Roba, who won in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
On the men’s side, Sisay Lemma was the defending champion, but Evans Chebet of Kenya won back-to-back Boston Marathons before that. And don’t sleep on American Conner Mantz, who placed eighth in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics and was probably the United States’ best shot at a podium spot.
How to wrap your head around the miles, pacing of a marathon
The Boston Marathon, like all other marathons, is 26.2 miles. Visualizing that distance can be as simple as thinking of a local landmark a mile from your home and imagining what it would be like to run there and back 13 times.
Calculating marathon finish times and pace requires a bit more math. But to give you an idea of how fast the pros are going: The men’s winners over the past five years have all crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 10 minutes or less. That works out to an average pace below 5 minutes per mile.