Sharon Lokedi smashes Boston Marathon course record

The race went out sedately, but finished anything but, with Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi smashing the course record at the Boston Marathon, running a blistering 2:17:22, taking her second world major marathon victory and demoralizing her rival, Hellen Obiri, who was gunning for her third consecutive win.

“I can’t believe it, I’m so excited,” Lokedi said after the race. She said she was amazed at how fast she and the other women went through the half (68 minutes and change), and knew the course record was possible for whoever won.

No doubt Lokedi was determined not to repeat last year’s experience, where she hung with Obiri until almost the end, only to lose narrowly. This year their roles were reversed, with Lokedi putting space between herself and Obiri in the final few kilometres, enough that Obiri was unable to close the gap, taking second, in 2:17:41. This is her third consecutive podium in Boston. Former 10K world record holder Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia finished third, in 2:18:06. All three podium finishers ran under the previous course record of 2:19:59, set by Ethiopia’s Buzunesh Deba in 2014.

How the race played out

Obiri and the other leaders hung back at the start, with the American women leading, along with Canada’s Rachel Hannah (who finished 30th); they went through the first mile in a modest 5:46. But it wasn’t long before the real leaders showed their strength, and Obiri formed a lead pack with four other women. Around the 10-mile mark, Amane Beriso threw in a surge, and by 12 miles, the lead pack was five women strong: Beriso, Obiri, 2022 London Marathon winner Yehualaw, 2022 New York City Marathon winner Lokedi and Kenya’s Irene Cheptai, running well under course record pace. They went through the half in 68 minutes, 46 seconds.

COURSE RECORD 👏

🇰🇪’s Sharon Lokedi holds off Hellen Obiri and storms to 2:17:22 at the @bostonmarathon 🔥

That’s more than 2️⃣ minutes faster than the course record set in 2014 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8ordm7pKYx

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) April 21, 2025

Around 15 miles in, Lokedi and Cheptai fell off the lead pack, but Lokedi fought her way back to rejoin them. There were some exchanges of elbows and looks between the pair of Ethiopians and the pair of Kenyans. While the camera was on men’s champion John Korir, who won a decisive victory in 2:04:44, Beriso fell off the lead pack. 

This was Lokedi’s second major marathon win; she won the 2022 New York City Marathon in her debut at the distance.

Toronto’s Kylee Raftis was the top Canadian woman today; Raftis finished 28th (a step up from her 36th-place finish in 2024), in 2:34:41, just one second ahead of Rachel Hannah of Port Elgin, Ont. 

Jess McClain was the top U.S. woman on Monday, finishing seventh, in 2:22:43. Emma Bates (last year’s top American woman) finished 13th, in 2:25:10, and Sara Hall was 18th, in 2:26:32.

2018 champion Des Linden (who finished 17th on Monday, or fifth American, in 2:26:19) surprised the running world earlier Monday when she announced that this would be not just her final Boston Marathon, but her final marathon as a professional. Linden also finished second in 2011.

Lokedi’s splits

5K–16:51
10K–32:51
15K–49:10
20K–1:05:05
21.1K–1:08:46
25K–1:21:23
30K–1:37:40
20 miles–1:45:08
35K–1:54:41
40K–2:10:22
Finish–2:17:22

Women’s top 10

1. 1. Sharon Lokedi (KEN) 2:17:22
   2. Hellen Obiri (KEN) 2:17:41
   3. Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 2:18:06
   4. Irene Cheptai (KEN) 2:21:32
   5. Amane Beriso (ETH) 2:21:58
   6. Calli Thackery (UK) 2:22:38
   7. Jess McClain (USA) 2:22:43
   8. Annie Frisbie (USA) 2:23:21
   9. Stacy Ndiwa (KEN) 2:23:29
   10. Tsige Haileslase (ETH) 2:23:43

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 

Scaroni wins wheelchair race

Susannah Scaroni of the U.S. won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:35:20; this was her seventh Boston Marathon, which she won in 2023, also. Scaroni took bronze in the T54 marathon at the Paris Olympics in 2024. Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland took second, in 1:37:26, and her compatriot, four-time Boston Marathon champion Manuela Schär, took third, in 1:39:18. 

For our coverage of the men’s race, click here. For full results of the 129th Boston Marathon, click here.