Defending champion John Korir broke the Boston Marathon course record on Monday, riding a tailwind to outrun the strongest field in event history and win in 2 hours, 1 minute, 52 seconds — the fifth-fastest marathon of all time.
The Kenyan broke away from the pack as it headed into Heartbreak Hill in Newton and opened a 40-second lead, peeking behind him as he went through Kenmore Square with a mile to go.
He beat the 2:03:02 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 by 70 seconds. Kelvin Kiptum holds the marathon world record, with a 2:00:35 on the flatter Chicago course in 2023.
Korir stuck out his tongue and spread his arms as he ran down Boylston Street, a year after he joined 2012 winner Wesley Korir as the only brothers to win the race.
Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania, 55 seconds back, and 2021 champion Benson Kipruto, another 3 seconds behind him, also were fast enough to better the previous Boston record. Zouhair Talbi, who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics for Morocco and became an American citizen last year, was fifth in 2:03:45 that was the best time ever for a U.S. runner.
Sharon Lokedi, who shattered the women’s course record last year by more than 2 1/2 minutes, led the women’s race through Mile 24 on Monday as she attempted to join her fellow Kenyan as repeat champions.
