Boston Marathon 2025: John Korir of Kenya Wins, Marcel Hug of Switzerland Claims 8th Wheelchair Victory

HOPKINTON, Mass. — John Korir of Kenya joined his brother as a Boston Marathon champion on Monday, following the hoofsteps of a Paul Revere reenactor who rode down Boylston Street and proclaimed “the runners are coming” as the race celebrated the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War.

Six months after winning Chicago, Korir mastered the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston’s Copley Square in an unofficial 2 hours, 4 minutes, 44 seconds – the second-fastest winning time in race history.

After crossing the line, he was greeted by his older brother, 2012 Boston winner Wesley Korir. Although the race has been won by a pair of unrelated John Kelleys and two different Robert Cheruiyots, the Korirs are the first brothers – or relatives of any kind – to win the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon.

Conner Mantz of Provo, Utah, finished fourth after losing a three-way sprint to the finish with Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania and Cybrian Kotut of Kenya. Simbu was second and Kotut was third.

Korir ran without his bib showing, pulling it out of his running tights as he sprinted down Boylston Street.

Marcel Hug of Switzerland blitzed to the front of the field to win his eighth Boston Marathon wheelchair title, claiming the victory Monday in the 129th edition of the race in 1 hour, 21 minutes, 34 seconds.

The 39-year-old Hug crossed the finish line in downtown Boston to claim his fifth consecutive win in the race on the 50th anniversary of the first official wheelchair finisher in Boston. Daniel Romanchuk of the United States was second in 1:25:58, followed by Jetze Plat of the Netherlands in 1:30:16.

Hug and Romanchuk broke from the field and stayed tight for about six miles. But Hug opened about a three-minute lead at the halfway mark and began to widen his advantage.

In the women’s race, Susannah Scaroni of the United States won her second Boston title, finishing in 1:35:20. Swiss athletes took the next two spots with Cathering Debrunner second in 1:37:26 and Manuela Schar third in 1:39:18.

Scaroni earned her first Boston title in 2023 but wasn’t able to defend it last year because of injury. This time she was dominant late, opening up a 40-second lead 18 miles in, breaking away from Debrunner.

The races came on a clear morning with start temperatures in the low 50s. It made for a much less eventful day for Hug, who last year recovered from a crash in the latter part of the race on his way to victory.

Boston Marathon helps celebrate 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War

Paul Revere rode down Boylston Street to the Boston Marathon finish line – or almost there, as it turned out – proclaiming “the runners are coming” on Monday morning as the world’s oldest and most prestigious annual marathon helped celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War.

Reenactors on horseback, accompanied by a fife and drum playing “Yankee Doodle,” helped start the festivities and add a bit of levity when Revere’s horse was spooked by the finish line decal on the street and stopped. The actor portraying the colonial silversmith and patriot had to hop off and walk the last few steps himself as the small early crowd laughed and clapped.

After reading a proclamation, Revere gently tugged the horse the rest of the way before riding off to more ceremonies commemorating the midnight ride on April 19, 1775, that warned the colonists in Lexington and Concord that the British were on the march.

A troop of about 40 Massachusetts National Guard members who crossed the starting line at around 6 a.m.

Reigning champions Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia and Hellen Obiri of Kenya return to defend their titles. Lemma separated from the pack of elite men’s runners early on last year and ran alone most of the morning, finishing in the 10th fastest time in race history. Most of the top men’s finishers from 2024 are returning, including Kenya’s Evans Chebet, the two-time Boston Marathon champion who was third last year.

Obiri is trying to become the first woman to win three in a row since 1999. Last year Obiri broke away from a large pack late to become the first woman to repeat as Boston Marathon champion since 2005.

Top American contenders include Emma Bates. The former Boston resident finished fifth in the women’s race in 2023 and 12th last year, making her the highest American finisher both years.

This year the women’s field will be the fastest ever, with 14 athletes who have personal-best marathon times below 2 hours, 26 minutes, according to the Boston Athletic Association.

Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott in Hopkinton, Mass., contributed to this story.