Hellen Obiri returns to 2025 Boston Marathon in pursuit of third win
Rory Linkletter will lead a contingent of three Canadian elites

On Wednesday, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced the men’s and women’s elite fields for the 2025 Boston Marathon, set for Easter Monday, April 21. Reigning champions from 2024, Sisay Lemma and Hellen Obiri, will return to defend their Boston Marathon titles, headlining a field that includes 21 sub-2:09 men and 17 sub-2:23 women.
The @BAA has announced today that the professional open division for the 2025 Boston Marathon presented by @BankofAmerica will feature athletes from 20 countries, including Olympic medalists, Boston Champions, and top American talent.🤩👏
Full field: https://t.co/OBOaeyVUcb pic.twitter.com/3S2ZtbXZdd
— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) January 8, 2025
Obiri seeks to become the first woman to win three straight Boston Marathons since Ethiopia’s Fatuma Roba accomplished the feat from 1997-1999. Obiri will come to Boston again in her best form, winning bronze at Paris 2024 in the women’s marathon and runner-up to her Kenyan compatriot Sheila Chepkirui at the TCS New York City Marathon in November.
Joining Obiri in the women’s field are two of the top five finishers from the Olympic marathon in Paris, including former NYC Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi and 2023 world marathon champion Amane Beriso of Ethiopia. Beriso has the fastest seed time in the field with a personal best of 2:14:58, set at the 2022 Valencia Marathon.

The women’s elite field is also loaded with North American talent, with a trio of American runners—Keira D’Amato, Sara Hall and Emma Bates—looking to follow in the footsteps of Des Linden and become the first American runner to win the race since 2018. There are two Canadian female marathoners in the field: Rachel Hannah of Port Elgin, Ont., and Kate Bazeley of St. John’s, N.L.
Canada’s Rory Linkletter named in men’s field
Canada’s second-fastest marathoner, Rory Linkletter, will return to Boston in April in hopes of a strong finish. The 28-year-old finished 33rd in his first appearance at the race in 2021 but has since lowered his marathon best by nearly five minutes. Although Boston is not known to be a fast course, Linkletter’s recent 15th-place finish at the 2024 NYC Marathon in 2:11:45, showcased his strength to run well on tough courses. Linkletter’s best of 2:08:01 came at the 2024 Seville Marathon, which qualified him for the Paris Olympics.

The Canadian will face tough competition against a strong field featuring former champions Lemma and Kenya’s Evans Chebet. Chebet won the race in 2022 and 2023 and finished third to Lemma in 2024. Kenya’s John Korir, the winner of the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, is also featured in the men’s field and has the second-fastest personal best (2:02:44) next to Lemma.
Lemma was originally selected to represent Ethiopia at the Paris Olympics but had to withdraw from the race a month out due to injury. “I was very happy after winning Boston last year, and in 2025 I know it will be an even bigger challenge to win again,” Lemma said in a press release. “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 per cent ready for April because the Boston Marathon is a special event.”

A few other international elites to watch are 2023 world champion Victor Kiplangat, who looks to become the first Ugandan man to win Boston, and Lesotho’s Tebello Ramamkongoana, a new kid on the block, who is fresh off a personal best and national record of 2:06:18 at the 2025 Xiamen Marathon.
A strong U.S. men’s group will match the depth of the U.S. women’s field. Olympic marathoners Conner Mantz and Clayton Young will lead the American charge. Mantz and Young come off eighth and ninth place finishes at the 2024 Olympic Marathon, and each finished in the top ten at the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon. Mantz’s lone Boston finish was 11th in 2023.
For the full elite list for the 2025 Boston Marathon, check here.