Defending Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri is targeting to be the fifth woman to win the third consecutive Boston Marathon title on April 21.
Obiri—the only woman in history to have won world titles indoors, outdoors and at cross country —is aiming to become the first woman to achieve three consecutive Boston titles since Fatuma Roba achieved the feat in 1999.
Only four women— Bobbi Gibb (USA), Sara Mae Berman (USA), Uta Pippig (Germany) and Fatuma Roba (Ethiopia)—have won three consecutive Boston Marathon Open Division titles.
“Defending a win is never easy and to win the Boston Marathon twice in a row was hard, but I am happy to have done it,” said Obiri, the 2023 and 2024 winner.
“On race day, I will again push for the win and hope to make it three in a row,” she said in a statement by race organisers.
But the three-time Olympic medallist won’t have it all her way as she’ll be up against seven women with sub-2:20 PBs, including world champion Amane Beriso.
The 2023 runner-up, with a PB of 2:14:58, is the fastest in the field and will be joined on the start line by compatriot Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the 2022 London Marathon champion.
Obiri is one of several strong Kenyans in the field, alongside two-time Boston winner Edna Kiplagat, 2022 New York Marathon winner Sharon Lokedi, Hamburg Marathon champion Irene Cheptai and 2012 Boston Marathon winner Sharon Cherop.
Mary Cooper-Ngugi is also in the mix. Kiplagat is a two-time Boston winner ( 2017 and 2021 ); Lokedi was second last year in Boston and fourth at the Olympic Marathon in Paris; Cheptai has earned four medals at the World Cross Country Championships; Chepng’eno won the Boston Half in 2022 and Ngugi-Cooper has five top 10 finishes in Boston.
With Obiri and 2012 winner Cherop in the mix, the Kenyan contingent is perhaps the deepest in race history. In the men’s category, Sisay Lemma is among the favourites in the elite field.
Lemma is also the fastest entrant in the men’s field. His PB of 2:01:48, set when winning in Valencia in 2023, makes him the fourth-fastest marathon runner in history.
“I was happy after winning the Boston Marathon last year and in 2025, I know it will be an even bigger challenge to win again,” said Lemma.
Five of the top seven men’s finishers from last year’s Boston Marathon return, including two-time winner Evans Chebet, who was third last year.
The 2024 Chicago Marathon champion John Korir and fellow Kenyan Albert Korir, who finished fourth and fifth respectively last year, will also return. Korir is the brother of 2012 Boston champion Wesley Korir.
Cybrian Kotut and Haymanot Alew were second and third at last year’s Berlin Marathon and both have lifetime bests inside 2:04.
World champion Victor Kiplangat seeks to become the first Ugandan man to win in Boston while two-time world 5,000m champion Muktar Edris will be making his marathon debut.
Other leading names include twotime Boston winner Lelisa Desisa,
Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko, Tanzania’s
Alphonce Felix Simbu, Lesotho’s Tebello Ramakongoana, Kenya’s Abel
Kipchumba and Ethiopia’s Yemane
Haileselassie.
