John Korir dominates the 2025 Boston Marathon

It’s official: winning the Boston Marathon is a tradition for Kenya’s Korir family. At the 2025 Boston Marathon on Monday, John Korir followed in the footsteps of his brother, Wes, taking the title in 2:04:45–the second-fastest finish in race history–despite falling and losing his bib early in the race.

The 28-year-old threw down a massive surge at 32-km and never looked back; Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania and Cybrian Kotut of Kenya closed out the 42.2K race with a sprint finish for second and third.

Korir’s Boston victory marks his second Abbott World Marathon Major title in six months; in October, he came out on top at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. The finish improves on his fourth-place finish from last year and ninth-place finish in 2023. The Korir siblings are now the first pair of brothers to win the Boston Marathon; Wes won the title in 2012, clocking 2:12:40.

After Korir made his decisive move at the 32-km mark, it was a three-man race for the final two podium spots. American favourite Conner Mantz, who was looking to become the first American to win since Meb Keflezighi in 2014, battled back and forth with Simbu and Kotut for a spot on the podium. Mantz fell back in the final stretch, forced to settle for fourth, though it was still a huge PB for him and the second-fastest American time on the Boston course (the American course record is held by Ryan Hall at 2:04:58). Simbu and Kotut finished neck-and-neck, both clocking 2:05:04; Simbu took silver by a fraction of a second.

Korir’s splits

5K–14:22
10K–28:53
15K–43:30
20K–58:36
21.1K–1:01:54
25K–1:13:38
30K–1:28:39
20 miles–1:35:00
35K–1:43:05
40K–1:58:24
Finish–2:04:45

Canada’s Rory Linkletter takes sixth

After a gutsy race, boldly taking the lead at the halfway point, Calgary’s Rory Linkletter secured an outstanding sixth-place finish in 2:07:02–a 59-second personal best while smashing his goal of a top-10 run. The time also marks the fastest Boston Marathon ever run by a Canadian, and second-fastest marathon in Canadian history. It was Linkletter’s second time racing Boston and first marathon under new coach Jon Green, who leads the Verde Track Club in Flagstaff, Ariz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Top 10 results

1. John Korir (Kenya) – 2:04:45
2. Alphonce Felix Simbu (Tanzania) – 2:05:04
3. Cybrian Kotut (Kenya) – 2:04:05
4. Conner Mantz (U.S.A.) – 2:05:08
5. Muktar Edris (Ethiopia) – 2:05:59
6. Rory Linkletter (Canada) – 2:07:02
7. Clayton Young (U.S.A.) – 2:07:04
8. Tebello Ramakongoana (Lesotho) – 2:07:19
9. Daniel Mateiko (Kenya) – 2:07:52
10. Ryan Ford (U.S.A.) – 2:08:00

Non-binary results

1. 1. 1. Whit Blair (Colorado) 2:22:44
      2. Avery Prizzi (Connecticut) 2:27:01
      3. Kassian Eaton (Massachusetts) 2:29:42 

Marcel Hug wins eighth wheelchair title

The 2025 Boston Marathon marked the 50th anniversary of the race’s wheelchair division. Swiss favourite Marcel Hug broke the tape in 1:21:34, taking his eighth Boston title. Hug, also known as “The Silver Bullet”, set the course record of 1:15:33 in 2024.

Daniel Romanchuk of the U.S. took second in 1:25:58 while Jetze Plat of the Netherlands rounded out the podium in 1:30:16.

For full results of the 129th Boston Marathon, click here.

For our coverage of the women’s elite race, click here.