Boston, 20 April (H.S.):

Reigning champions John Korir and Sharon Lokedi will return to the Boston Marathon 2026 on Monday with the aim of defending their respective titles, as both the men’s and women’s races are expected to feature fierce competition.

In the men’s race, Kenya’s John Korir will line up seeking a fourth consecutive marathon victory. He also won the Chicago and Valencia marathons last year. Despite an early fall in the Boston Marathon 2025, Korir still produced a historic performance, clocking 2:04:45 to record the third-fastest time in the event’s history.

Korir will face strong competition from Kenya’s Benson Kipruto, Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu and Kenya’s Cybrian Kotut. Kipruto, who has also won the New York City Marathon, enters the race as the fastest runner on the field with a personal best of 2:02:16.

In the women’s race, Sharon Lokedi will also defend her title. She set a course record last year with a time of 2:17:22, ending Helen Obiri’s two-year dominance.

Lokedi will be challenged by Kenya’s Irine Cheptai and Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa, both of whom have delivered impressive performances in recent marathons.

Korir said the level of competition this year is exceptionally high and that he would try to challenge the course record if everything goes well.

The Boston Marathon 2026 is expected to deliver a thrilling contest among some of the world’s top distance runners, with fast times and the possibility of new records on the cards.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar