John Korir wins the Boston Marathon/HANDOUT
The men’s 42km benchmark stands at 2:00:35, a historic mark Kiptum etched into the record books at the Chicago Marathon in 2023, becoming the first man to shatter the 2:01 barrier.
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On Monday, Korir delivered a ruthless, front-foot performance on the streets of Boston, powering to victory at the Boston Marathon in a course record time of 2:01:52, catapulting himself to fifth on the all-time list.
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In doing so, he obliterated the 15-year-old course record of 2:03:02 set by fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai back in 2011. Korir’s electric run also saw him slice through his previous personal best of 2:02:24, set during his emphatic victory in Valencia last December.
Only an elite quartet; Kiptum (2:00:35), Eliud Kipchoge (2:01:09), Kenenisa Bekele (2:01:41) and Sisay Lemma (2:01:48), have clocked faster times.
Even with such a seismic performance, Korir remains grounded, insisting his focus is firmly fixed on winning rather than chasing the clock. “I am not worried about the world record at the moment. I just want to run and win, but if the world record comes, it will be good,” Korir said. “Right now, the world record is not in my mind.”
In Boston, Korir held off Tanzania’s world marathon champion Alphonce Simbu, who clocked 2:02:47, and former Boston champion Benson Kipruto, who followed closely in 2:02:50.
Interestingly, the Kenyan ace revealed he was unaware of his record-breaking feat even after crossing the line.
“When I crossed the finish line, I did not know that I had broken the course record; I was only told after,” he admitted. However, Korir knew from deep within the race that he was locked into a punishing, record-threatening rhythm. “Last year, during my win, I fell at the start and wasn’t sure I would run fast. This year, I was in good shape and knew I would run fast.”
“When I crossed the 40km mark, I saw I was at 1:55, so I knew I was well under 2:02 pace and pushed to maintain it all the way to the finish,” he explained. “It feels good to have run such a fast time.”
The 29-year-old had previously triumphed in the 2025 edition, clocking 2:04:45, with Simbu again finishing runner-up in 2:05:04, while compatriot Cybrian Kotut sealed third in the same time. For his latest masterclass, Korir walked away with $150,000 (Sh19.4 million), plus a handsome $50,000 (Sh6.5 million) bonus for rewriting the course record.
His Boston dominance had been foreshadowed earlier in the season when he opened his campaign in commanding fashion at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour on February 14. There, he surged to victory in the senior men’s 10km, clocking 29:44 to see off Amos Kiprotich and Silas Senchura, both of whom timed 29:46.
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