BOSTON.- The defending champions John Korir and Sharon Lokedi They achieved a Kenyan double this Monday in the boston marathonafter both performed authentic tactical masterpieces that earned them consecutive victories in the 130th edition of this prestigious race.
Korir took advantage of the perfect race conditions to claim the fourth marathon victory of his career, with an outstanding performance that allowed him to win the men’s event with a course record.
The defending champion, 29, bided his time before distancing himself from the Ethiopian Milkesa Mengesha after 32 kilometers to finish with a time of 2h01:52.
Korir’s winning time shattered the previous course record of 2h03:02 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011.
The world champion of Tanzania, Alphonce Simbufinished second with a time of 2h02:47, after surpassing the Kenyan in a sprint Benson Kipruto (2h02:50) in the final stretch.
Korir’s second victory in Boston adds to his triumphs in the Chicago Marathon in 2024 and in Valencia marathon in December.
Korir’s calm victory was a stark contrast to last year, when the Kenyan crashed early in the race before recovering and taking 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 declared 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 race was replicated in the elite women’s race, where Sharon Lokedi He crossed the finish line in 2h18:51.
The 32-year-old distance runner achieved her third victory in a major marathon after escaping from a very compact group of around a dozen runners in the final kilometers.
Lokedi escaped alone after 34.9 km 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.
Lokedi showed no signs of fatigue in the final kilometers and led by 33 seconds entering the last thousand meters before giving one last sprint to complete his third victory in a major marathon, after those achieved in the new york marathon in 2022 and in Boston in 2025.
Chemnung finished 44 seconds behind in second place, with Mary Ngugi-Cooper third with 2h20:07.
Lokedi claimed that patience had been the key to her victory and revealed that the encouragement of a young fan helped her make the final push.
“It felt so good… I kept telling myself, ‘Be patient, be humble, you can do it,'” Lokedi said. “And then I saw a little girl who screamed, ‘You got it, girls!’ It was so cute, and it was just what I needed.”
