‎John Korir produced a masterclass on the streets of Boston on Monday, successfully defending his marathon title in a course record time of 2:01:52. ‎ ‎

Korir’s run rewrote the record books, obliterating the long-standing course mark of 2:03:02 set by Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai in 2011.

For his triumph, Korir pockets $150,000 (Sh19.4 million) plus an additional $50,000 (Sh6.5 million) for shattering the course record.

In the process, the Kenyan star also dipped under his previous personal best of 2:02:24, which he had set during his triumphant outing in Valencia last December. ‎ ‎

Behind him, Tanzania’s world marathon champion Alphonse Simbu secured second place in 2:02:47, while Benson Kipruto completed an all-East African podium, clocking 2:02:50 for third.

‎ ‎The 29-year-old’s triumph marked a successful title defence, having claimed last year’s crown in 2:04:45.

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‎ In that 2025 edition, Simbu had also finished second in 2:05:04, with compatriot Cybrian Kotut sealing third in the same time. ‎

‎Korir had already hinted at another dominant campaign in Boston after opening his season in commanding fashion at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour on February 14. ‎

There, he powered through the senior men’s 10km, stopping the clock at 29:44 to take top honours ahead of Amos Kiprotich and Silas Senchura, who both timed 29:46.