Kenyan John Korir became two-time champion of the Boston marathon, considered the most traditional in the world, this Monday (19). The athlete completed the 42 km route in 2h1min52s.
Alphonce Felix Simbu, a runner from Tanzania, repeated his position from last year and was second, with 2h2min47s. Benson Kipruto, also from Kenya, clocked 2h2min50s and completed the podium.
The three surpassed the previous record for the race, which was 2h3min2s, achieved by another Kenyan, Geoffrey Mutai, in 2011.
Korir should receive a total prize of US$200,000 (around R$996,000), including US$150,000 for first place and US$50,000 for holding the new race record.
The 29-year-old completed the 130th running of the Boston road race almost three minutes under his mark last year, when he was first across the finish line after 2:4:45. On that occasion, he had a fall at the start, but recovered.
This is the Kenyan’s third victory in Majors, as the seven most prestigious street marathons in the world are called — in addition to the capital of Massachusetts, the list includes races in Tokyo, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York. In 2024, he was champion in Chicago, with a time of 2h2min44s.
This Monday, he took the lead after 30 km and was increasingly distancing himself from the other runners.
The Boston Marathon is considered the oldest marathon held annually in the world, with the first edition dating back to 1897. In total, this year’s race had more than 32 thousand entries from 137 countries.
Among the professional and amateur runners are Americans Amby Burfoot, a 79-year-old journalist who won the Boston Marathon in 1968, and Suni Williams, a retired astronaut who spent more than 600 days in space.
