Sharon Lokedi set a new Boston Marathon course record on Monday, while Kenyan runner John Korir claimed victory alongside his brother, making history as the first siblings to win the prestigious race.
Lokedi defeated two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri in the final mile, a year after losing a sprint to her at the same spot. Lokedi completed the race in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 22 seconds, beating Obiri by 19 seconds and breaking the previous course record by more than two and a half minutes.
In the men’s race, John Korir finished with a time of 2:04:45, the second-fastest in Boston Marathon history. He had won the Chicago Marathon six months earlier. After crossing the finish line, Korir was greeted by his older brother, Wesley Korir, who won the Boston Marathon in 2012. The Korirs made history as the first brothers to win the marathon, or any relatives for that matter, marking a significant milestone in the event’s history.
Conner Mantz of Provo, Utah, placed fourth after narrowly losing a three-way sprint to Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania, who took second, and Cybrian Kotut of Kenya, who finished third. Korir had run without his bib visible, pulling it from his running tights just before reaching the finish line.
In keeping with the day’s historical theme, the marathon kicked off with reenactors on horseback, accompanied by a fife and drum playing “Yankee Doodle.” The event commemorated the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolutionary War. However, one amusing moment occurred when the actor portraying Paul Revere’s horse was spooked by a finish line decal and had to walk the last few steps, much to the crowd’s amusement.
In wheelchair races, Marcel Hug of Switzerland claimed his eighth Boston title in 1:21:34, beating two-time champion Daniel Romanchuk by more than four minutes. Hug celebrated the 50th anniversary of the wheelchair division in the marathon. “It means a lot to win this year, 50 years of wheelchairs in Boston,” Hug said.
Susannah Scaroni from the U.S. won the women’s wheelchair race for the second time, finishing in 1:35:20. Her victory ensured that the “Star-Spangled Banner” would play at Copley Square on Patriots’ Day, which also marked the 250th anniversary of the first shots fired in the Revolutionary War.
