Fresh off his second World Marathon Major title in Boston, rising road racing star John Korir has set his sights on a new frontier—becoming only the second man in history to dip under the 2:01 mark over the 42km distance.
The late Kelvin Kiptum remains the only man to have officially broken the barrier, clocking a staggering 2:00:35 en route to victory at the 2023 Chicago Marathon—a time that still stands as the world record.
Only marathon icon Eliud Kipchoge has come close, winning the 2022 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:09.
Ethiopian legends Kenenisa Bekele (2:01:41 in Berlin, 2019) and Sisay Lemma (2:01:48 in Valencia, 2023) also feature prominently on the all-time list.
While Kipchoge made history by running an unofficial sub-two-hour marathon (1:59:40) at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in 2019, no one else has cracked the 2:01 barrier in a record-eligible race—yet.
Korir is the eighth fastest man in marathon history courtesy of his 2:02:44 win in Chicago last year.
In an exclusive interview with the Star, Korir revealed he has set an ambitious target for the rest of his 2025 campaign, eyeing a sub-2:01 run in his upcoming road races.
"Winning Boston was good for me. It has given me a lot of confidence. My target for the rest of the year is to run a sub-2:01 marathon," Korir revealed.
Pressed on whether he’s plotting a direct assault on Kiptum’s world record, Korir remained measured but ambitious.
"I am not saying that I am going to attack the world record, but it is a mark that is also in my mind this year," Korir added.
Korir says he’s in pristine shape and believes the goal is within reach.
"My body feels fine and I am confident I can achieve the target I have set," he noted.
He’s already easing back into training with light sessions and strength work.
"After Boston, I took some time to recover, but I am slowly back to training. I have begun with gym work and light 15km evening jogs."
"I will begin intensive training from next week," he said.
Korir is, however, facing a tough decision — to defend his Chicago crown or represent Kenya at the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
"Right now, I have not decided which race to take later in the year. I have two choices, the Chicago Marathon and the World Championships."
"I was approached recently to represent the country in Tokyo. I also want to defend my Chicago title. I'll have to wait and see what my elder brother (Wesley Korir) and manager advise me to do," he stated.
On March 21 in Boston, Korir clocked 2:04:45 to record his second major marathon victory.
He led Tanzania's Alphonse Simbu (2:05:04) and compatriot Cybrian Kotut (2:05:04).
Korir’s Boston victory was not just another win—it was historic.
He and his elder brother, Wesley became the first siblings to claim Boston Marathon titles, Wesley having won in 2012 (2:12:40).
"My brother and I are the first siblings to have won the Boston Marathon, which is so good. It feels good that the Korir family made history even though our victories came 11 years apart," he noted.
The win also meant more after a dramatic start, where Korir fell after being clipped from behind early in the race. But he refused to let it rattle him.
"At the start of the race, my leg was clipped from behind, and I fell and hurt myself. However, this did not faze me and I pushed hard to claim the win to show the world that you can always get back up and succeed no matter the challenge."
Korir executed his race plan to perfection, breaking away from a six-man lead pack at the 32km mark with a decisive injection of pace.
"My game plan for Boston was to be patient and eventually break away from the leading pack at the 30km mark."
"The move worked in my favour because when I broke away, the other athletes did not know how to respond and that disrupted their game plan."
