At the 130th Boston Marathon held on 20/4, all three leading positions were faster than the previous record of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds, established by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011.

John Korir won and celebrated the 2026 Boston Marathon championship. *Photo: Reuters*

Sharon Lokedi wins the women's 2026 Boston Marathon. *Photo: AP*

Korir finished first on Boylston Street with a time of 2 hours 1 minute 52 seconds. The competition for second place was intense between Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania and Benson Kipruto of Kenya. Simbu claimed second with 2 hours 2 minutes 47 seconds, while Kipruto took third at 2 hours 2 minutes 50 seconds.

As the champion, Korir's time of 2 hours 1 minute 52 seconds will be recognized as the new course record. The Kenyan athlete received 150,000 USD in prize money for the championship and an additional 50,000 USD for breaking the course record.

Korir significantly improved his performance compared to last year, where he won with 2 hours 4 minutes 45 seconds. In 2012, John Korir's brother, Wesley, also won the Boston Marathon with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes 40 seconds. John and Wesley are the first two siblings to both win this annual marathon.

After the race, Korir stated that breaking the record was part of his plan. "I always thought about this milestone. This year, everything went smoothly from start to finish," said the 29-year-old runner, recalling a fall early in last year's race from which he recovered to win.

The 2026 Boston Marathon took place under favorable weather conditions (temperatures around 4-9 degrees Celsius, light tailwind), which contributed to a high-quality race without any significant slowdowns.

The race progression highlighted Korir's effective strategy. He patiently stayed with the lead group during the initial stage, as Hendrik Pfeiffer and American athletes such as Ryan Ford and Alex Maier took turns setting the pace, maintaining a rhythm equivalent to a 2:03 finish (under 2 hours 3 minutes).

In the first half, Lemi Berhanu unexpectedly took the lead, running the halfway point (21,0975 km) in 1 hour 1 minute 43 seconds. Korir quickly followed, overtook him minutes later, and then significantly accelerated in the final 10 km. During the decisive phase, the Kenyan athlete maintained a consistent pace, fluctuating between 2:45 and 2:50, steadily widening the gap from the chasing pack before finishing first.

The American athletes also drew attention, with Zouhair Talbi being the fastest, finishing fifth overall with 2 hours 3 minutes 45 seconds. This performance was 1 minute 13 seconds faster than the previous Boston record for an American athlete (2 hours 4 minutes 58 seconds), set by Ryan Hall in 2011. However, it will not be recognized as a national record due to the unique characteristics of the point-to-point course. This type of one-way course, where the start and finish points are not the same, often features elevation changes and favorable wind conditions, thus not meeting the record-setting standards of World Athletics.

In the women's race, Sharon Lokedi continued her strong form by defending her championship title, mirroring the achievement of her compatriot Hellen Obiri (champion in 2023-2024). Kenyan athletes secured all three podium positions, with Lokedi finishing first in 2 hours 18 minutes 51 seconds. Loice Chemnung followed in second place with 2 hours 19 minutes 35 seconds, and Mary Ngugi-Cooper finished third in 2 hours 20 minutes 7 seconds.

"I was very emotional to receive the crowd's support. I always told myself to be patient and remain humble," Lokedi shared after her victory.

Hong Duy