With a big push just before the 20-mile mark, John Korir of Kenya broke apart what had been an eight-man pack and was never challenged after to win the 2025 Boston Marathon. Korir finished in 2:04:45, the fastest winning time since Geoffrey Mutai set the course record of 2:03:02 in 2011.
Korir was tripped from behind seconds into the race and fell, but quickly regained his footing. The only immediately visible consequence of his fall was that his bib wasn’t visible on his singlet; Korir stuffed it in his shorts. Fortunately, no overzealous course marshals attempted to remove what they might have thought was the world’s fastest race bandit. Korir crossed the line with his bib crumpled in his left hand.
Alphonce Simbu of Tanzania finished second in 2:05:04, inches ahead of CyBrian Kotut of Kenya, who was given the same time for his third-place finish.
Conner Mantz ran with Simbu and Kotut in the chase pack until the final stretch on Boylston Street. Mantz finished fourth in 2:05:08, the second fastest U.S. time in Boston history after Ryan Hall’s 2:04:58 in 2011. Although Mantz can claim the time as his personal best, Boston’s point-to-point isn’t record-eligible, so his “official” PR remains the 2:07:47 he ran at Chicago in 2023.
Mantz’s training partner Clayton Young placed seventh in 2:07:04, an all-courses PR by 56 seconds. One place and two seconds ahead of Young was Rory Linkletter of Canada, sporting the buzziest shoe of the weekend, the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite. (In Mantz, Young, and Linkletter, the collegiate alum title went to Brigham Young University.) Ryan Ford was the third American, placing 10th in 2:08:00.
Korir, 28, is the younger brother of 2012 Boston winner Wesley Korir. Fourth here in 2024, he broke through to among the best in the world with his win last October in 2024. That win also came with an unanswerable surge past 35K that he sustained to the finish. (Today, he put 16 seconds on the chase pack just in the 21st mile.) His personal best from Chicago, 2:02:44, makes him the eighth fastest marathoner in history.
Korir trains in Eldoret with—by Kenyan standards—a relatively underwhelming group. He’s the alpha member of the nine-man squad. Only one besides Korir races outside of Kenya; Edwin Kibichy, eighth in the Paris Marathon in 2:08:29 on April 13.
Defending champion Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia lost touch with the lead pack in the 17th mile and was last seen leaning against roadside fencing soon after.
Prize money
- 1st place, John Korir, $150,000
- 2Shoes & Gear
- 3Des Linden Places 17th in Final Boston
- 4Results: 2025 Boston Marathon
- 5Fastest Marathon Runners
- 6the buzziest shoe of the weekend
- 7Celebrities Who Ran the 2025 Boston Marathon
- 8Pros React to Des Linden’s Final Boston
- 9Download Your Training Plan
- 10the buzziest shoe of the weekend
