Yuki Kawauchi and 11 other Boston Marathon champs to return this fall

The B.A.A. announced this week that 13 Boston Marathon champions, with 30 first-place Boston finishes among them, will be back to race the 125th running of the Boston Marathon, which is scheduled to take place this year on Canadian Thanksgiving Monday, Oct. 11. 

RELATED: B.A.A. solidifies 2021 Boston Marathon field with biggest time cutoff in event history

Returning women’s champions – open division

• five-time top-five finisher, two-time Olympian, 50K world best holder and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden
• two-time world champion and 2017 Boston Marathon champion Edna Kiplagat
• 2010 B.A.A. Half-Marathon champion and 2015 Boston Marathon champion Caroline Rotich
• two-time Paris Marathon champion, 2010 Chicago Marathon champion and 2016 Boston Marathon champion Atsede Baysa 

?13 Champs
?30 Boston Marathon Titles
⏱️$50K Course Record Bonus

All at the historic 125th #BostonMarathon ?

Returning champions announced as part of the @johnhancockusa Professional Field –> https://t.co/oSUC8SgIFN#RunTo125 pic.twitter.com/9l4o1HQ9RG

— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) July 14, 2021

Returning women’s champions – wheelchair division

• course record holder, three-time Paralympic medallist and 2017 and 2019 Boston Marathon champion Manuela Schär
• 17-time Paralympic medallist and five-time Boston Marathon champion Tatyana McFadden (who will also race no fewer than five events, including the marathon, at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in August, for Team USA)

Returning men’s champions – open division

• 2017 world champion and 2017 Boston Marathon champion Geoffrey Kirui
• 2016 Boston Marathon champion Lemi Berhanu
• 2018 Boston Marathon champion Yuki Kawauchi

RELATED: Daniel Romanchuk smashes wheelchair marathon world record in 1:13:57

I’m so exited to be coming back to Boston ?? https://t.co/plnh0E0CKo

— Tatyana McFadden (@TatyanaMcFadden) July 15, 2021

Returning men’s champions – wheelchair division

• two-time Paralympian, world record holder and 2019 Boston Marathon champion Daniel Romanchuk
• four-time Boston Marathon champion and course record holder Marcel Hug
• 10-time Boston Marathon champion Ernst van Dyk
• 2012 Boston Marathon champion and former course record holder Josh Cassidy

The full international field will be announced the week of Aug. 9.

The Boston Marathon will be the first of the Abbott World Marathon Majors to offer equal men’s and women’s bonuses of $50,000 for new course records, across both open and wheelchair divisions, as well as the first to introduce para divisions (with prize money attached) for athletes with upper limb, lower limb and visual impairments.

The field size will be limited to 20,000 participants, and will have a rolling start. The virtual race will be held from Friday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Oct. 10.