Kenyan runner John Korir staged an impressive comeback to win the 2024 Boston Marathon on Monday, despite stumbling near the starting line. Korir crossed the finish in 2:04:45, the second-fastest time in the event’s history, just months after claiming victory in Chicago.
Korir recovered quickly after his early fall and made a decisive move at the 20-mile mark, pulling ahead of the pack. With two miles to go, he had built a comfortable one-minute lead and jogged to the finish line, triumphantly holding the bib number he had lost during his tumble.
Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu secured second place in 2:05:04, narrowly edging out Kenya’s Cybrian Kotut after a fierce sprint to the finish.
With the win, John Korir joins his older brother, Wesley Korir — the 2012 champion — in the history books, making them the only siblings to win the Boston Marathon. Wesley was there at the finish to embrace his younger brother in celebration.
Sharon Lokedi stole the spotlight on the women’s side, delivering a record-breaking performance to dethrone fellow Kenyan Hellen Obiri and denying her a third consecutive Boston title. Lokedi, the 2022 New York City Marathon champion and last year’s runner-up, finished in 2:17:22, smashing the course record set in 2014 by Buzunesh Deba by more than two minutes.
Obiri, who won Olympic bronze in Paris and was aiming for a rare Boston “three-peat,” finished 19 seconds behind. Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw took third with a time of 2:18:06.
Reflecting on her performance, Lokedi said she feared she had gone out too fast while climbing Boston’s notorious hills but felt strong in the final stretch.
“I feel so great, I can’t believe it,” she said. “I just wanted to do my best and fight to the end.”
The 129th edition of the Boston Marathon also marked the 50th anniversary of the event’s first wheelchair finisher, Bob Hall, who completed the race in 1975 in 2:58:00 — an historic moment that paved the way for generations of para-athletes.
In a tribute to Hall, Swiss athlete Marcel Hug claimed his eighth Boston Marathon wheelchair title with a commanding time of 1:21:34.
“He is a real pioneer for our sport — he opened the door for us,” Hug said. “We are so grateful he had the courage to come here and do the Boston Marathon 50 years ago.”
American Susannah Scaroni won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:35:20, a remarkable return after missing last year’s race due to injury.
