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Race day is here.
Some 30,000 athletes are set to participate in the 129th Boston Marathon throughout the day on Monday, including residents of 128 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Helping them along the way from Hopkinton to the finish line on Boylston Street in Boston will be more than 9,500 volunteers.
Athletes can expect a cool start to the day, but temperatures will climb up to around 60 degrees by mid-afternoon. This could be tempered a bit by a cool breeze, but there is no chance of rain and Monday is shaping up to be a great day to participate in or watch the race.
Follow along here all day for live updates from the race.
For the second year in a row, the field of professional women competing in the Boston Marathon narrowed down to two racers in the final stretch: Kenyans Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri. In 2024 it was Obiri who triumphed, winning her second Boston Marathon.
But Lokedi got her revenge in 2025, winning with an unofficial time of 2:17:22. To make the victory even sweeter, Lokedi set the course record for women. The previous record was set by Buzunesh Deba in 2014 with a time of 2:19:59.
“Today I was like, ‘there’s no way.’” Lokedi told WCVB when asked after the race about running neck and neck with Obiri again. “We all just fought and wanted this so bad.”
John Korir, a 28-year-old from Kenya, won the professional men’s division of the 129th Boston Marathon just before noon on Monday with an unofficial time of 2:04:45.
This marks the second-fastest time anyone has completed the marathon, just behind Geoffrey Mutai’s record of 2:03:02, which was set in 2011.
Korir dominated the second half of the race, largely running alone as he made his way into the heart of Boston. He dominated despite tripping and falling at the very beginning of the race.
Korir placed fourth in Boston in 2024 with a 2:07:40 time. Last October, he won the Chicago Marathon with a 2:02:44 time. Korir’s older brother, Wesley, won the 2012 Boston Marathon. The two reunited after John Korir’s victory Monday.
It appears that there will not be a repeat champion among the elite men at this year’s Boston Marathon.
Sisay Lemma, the Ethiopian runner who won the men’s division in 2024, spent much of the first portion of the race with the small group of athletes leading the pack. But around mile 17, he fell back and appeared to stop on the sidelines to stretch out his leg. It was unclear if Lemma officially pulled himself from the race, but catching up to the leaders would be nearly impossible.
Defending men's champion Sisay Lemma just stepped off to the side of the road during mile 17 to stretch out his leg (you can see him in the back of the screen on the right).
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) April 21, 2025
Did not appear to rejoin the group — his day appears to be done.https://t.co/ow95qG7SMx pic.twitter.com/WFE0GGaJqX
American Susannah Scaroni easily triumphed over the women’s wheelchair division Monday, claiming her second Boston Marathon title.
Scaroni, a Washington native, won in 2023 despite needing to make a mid-race repair. She missed last year’s event due to injury, but bounced back and was able to win the New York City Marathon last November.

Marcel Hug, the Swiss athlete widely considered the best wheelchair marathon racer in the world, once again won the 2025 Boston Marathon. This is Hug’s eighth time winning in Boston. Last year, he crushed the competition despite crashing into a barrier near the “firehouse turn” in Newton.
The “silver bullet” won the 2025 race with a time of 1:21:34.
In an interview after the race, Hug said he was a bit disappointed by his downhills, but felt secure in his lead after the race’s first 10 kilometers.
This is the 50th year that wheelchair racing has been included in the Boston Marathon. Read more here.
Some of the fastest non-professional racers began running at 10 a.m. Around 8,000 athletes surged across the starting line in Hopkinton, with one even taking a selfie-style photo as he immediately ran ahead of the pack.
Elsewhere on the course, two fighter jets gave crowds an early spectacle as they awaited the athletes.
F-15 flyover ahead of the first wave of runners to hit the course at the Boston Marathon.@MyNBC5 pic.twitter.com/BBk4q4rLXB
— Noah Cierzan (@ncierzan) April 21, 2025
The field of professional women started the Marathon at 9:47 a.m.
Hellen Obiri of Kenya is also looking to defend her title and win a third consecutive Boston Marathon. This would make her the first woman since 1999 to win three straight Boston Marathon titles. She put up a time of 2:21:38 in 2023 and 2:22:37 last year. But Obiri will certainly have stiff competition, as 11 women competing Monday have faster personal bests than her.
Several Americans, like Keira D’Amato and Sara Hall, should be in the mix. This is the “deepest American women’s field in race history,” according to the Boston Athletic Association. All told, 14 U.S. women competing Monday have run sub-2:26:00 marathons.
Here we go!!#BostonMarathon pic.twitter.com/BKH1f1QKAI
— Boston Marathon Pro (@Boston26_2_Pro) April 21, 2025
The professional male racers competing in the Marathon crossed the starting line in Hopkinton just after 9:30 a.m.
Last year’s champion, Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia, is competing once again. Lemma rode a hot start in the 2024 Boston Marathon to finish the race with a 2:06:17 time. His personal best for any marathon is 2:01:48, the fastest in the men’s field. Lemma’s biggest challengers will include two-time champion Evans Chebet and American Olympians Conner Mantz and Clayton Young.
Boston Marathon fan favorite and 2018 champion Des Linden announced her retirement from professional marathoning, saying Monday’s race from Hopkinton to Boylston will be her last as a pro.
Just after 9 a.m. the athletes competing in the men’s and women’s wheelchair divisions kicked off the Boston Marathon.
Last year, Swiss racer Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair division and smashed his own previous course record in the process. He did so despite crashing into a barrier near the “firehouse turn” in Newton. Hug is competing again this year.
Eden Rainbow-Cooper won last year’s women’s wheelchair division at just 22 years old. Rainbow-Cooper, a native of Portsmouth, England, is defending her title this year. Four athletes, including American Susanna Scaroni, currently have personal best marathon times faster than Rainbow-Cooper’s record, so Monday’s race should be competitive.
Wheelers are off and running! @bostonmarathon pic.twitter.com/BKiviufEVr
— Boston Marathon Pro (@Boston26_2_Pro) April 21, 2025
For those looking to keep track of the best of the best during the 2025 Boston Marathon, snazzy outfits are a huge help. Ahead of the race, officials released information about the outfits all the top runners will be wearing. Despite some understated options, bold colors and fun patterns were common. Take a look:
#Boston129 #MeetTheMoment #BostonMarathon
— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) April 21, 2025
(2/2) pic.twitter.com/h2zvKKZne4
Ross Cristantiello, a general assignment news reporter for Boston.com since 2022, covers local politics, crime, the environment, and more.
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