By David Monti, @d9monti | (c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved; used with permission
Hellen Obiri of Kenya and Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia will be back to defend their Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America titles on Monday, April 20, race organizers announced today. Obiri, 35, the reigning Olympic Marathon bronze medalist, will be looking for her third consecutive Boston victory, a feat last accomplished by Ethiopia’s Fatuma Roba from 1997 to 1999.
“Defending a win is never easy, and to win the Boston Marathon twice in a row was hard, but I am happy to have done it,” Obiri said through a media release. The On Athletics Club athlete continued: “On race day I will again push for the win and hope to make it three in a row.”
Obiri –the only athlete in history to have won global titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track– will have to overcome stiff competition to collect another win. Elite athlete coordinator Mary Kate Shea has stacked the field with a total of 17, sub-2:23:00 women, the fastest being Ethiopians Amane Beriso (2:14:58) and Yalemzerf Yehualaw (2:16:52). Other title contenders include Kenya’s Irine Cheptai (2:17:51), Mary Ngugi (2:20:22), and Sharon Lokedi (2:22:45); Romania’s Joan Melly (2:18:24); and Ethiopians Rahma Tusa (2:19:33), Buze Diriba (2:20:22), and Bedatu Hirpa (2:21:09).
Several American woman hope to be in the mix for the podium, including Keira D’Amato (2:19:12), Sara Hall (2:20:32), Emma Bates (2:22:10), Dakotah Popehn (2:24:40), and Jess McClain (2:25:46). Bates was the top USA woman last year, finishing 12th in 2:27:14 after missing last February’s Olympic Trials Marathon with an injury. The last American woman to make the podium in Boston was Jordan Hasay, who finished third in 2019.
Lemma, 34, who has a personal best of 2:01:48, completely dominated the 2024 edition of the race. The adidas-sponsored athlete bolted through the mostly-downhill first half alone in 1:00:19, and even though he slowed badly in the second half he still won by 41 seconds in 2:06:17.
“I was very happy after winning the Boston Marathon last year, and in 2025 I know it will be an even bigger challenge to win again,” Lemma said through a statement. “I was unlucky, because of an injury, not to be able to participate at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and I was not completely ready at the Valencia Marathon last December, but I will be 100% ready next April because the Boston Marathon is a special event.”
Kenyan men have won the Boston Marathon 25 times, and two-time champion Evans Chebet hopes to get back on the top step of the podium. Chebet, who has a personal best of 2:03:00, won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023 and finished third last year. Also entered from Kenya are John Korir (2:02:44 PB) –the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion whose brother, Wesley, was the 2012 Boston champion– and Albert Korir (no relation) who was the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon winner.
The men’s elite field is particularly deep. Twenty-one men have run sub-2:09:00 (13 sub-2:07), and 16 countries are represented in the elite field, including four of the top six finishers of last year’s Olympic Trials: Conner Mantz (2:07:47 PB), Clayton Young (2:08:00), C.J. Albertson (2:08:17), and Zach Panning (2:09:16). Shadrack Biwott was the last American man to make the podium in Boston, finishing third in the horrible rainstorm in 2018.
The Boston Marathon, founded in 1897 by the Boston Athletic Association, is the world’s oldest marathon and proudly remains a bit of a throwback. The course is hilly, point-to-point, and not record-eligible, a decidedly out-of-fashion approach with all of the emphasis on record-setting in the modern era of marathon running. Also, no pacemakers are used, and besides a course record bonus of $50,000 the race does not offer any time bonuses. The winners will receive $150,000 in prize money.
“Boston annually brings together the world’s best each April, and this Patriots’ Day is no different,” said Jack Fleming, CEO of the Boston Athletic Association. “Coming off an Olympic year, top contenders from around the world have turned their attention to Boston and hope to etch their name into Boston Marathon lore with a victory.”
