On April 21, 2025, the 129th annual Boston Marathon took place, following its renowned course from Hopkinton to Boylston Street in Boston. With a record-breaking 36,406 qualified runners, this year’s marathon race raised questions about its increasing competitiveness.
Due to field size limits, the Boston Marathon is forced to set specific standards. Of the qualified runners, however, only approximately 24,000 were selected to run. Additionally, to the surprise of many, the average Boston Marathon runner ran a full seven minutes underneath the set times, underlining the increasing competition in the race.
Among the thousands of elite runners, however, two stuck out with their impressive victories: Kenyan runners Sharon Lokedi and John Korir.
With an astonishing course record time of 2:17:22, Lokedi surpassed Buzunesh Deba’s 2014 leading performance by two minutes and 37 seconds. Lokedi pushed through a final mile sprint, ultimately winning the marathon on the women’s side. Shocked by her own performance, Lokedi could not believe she had outran Hellen Obiri—the defending champion of the past two years. Throughout most of the race, Lokedi stuck with a small pack, which consisted of Obiri and others. During the final mile, however, she went neck-and-neck in a long sprint against the former champion.
On the men’s side, John Korir clocked a jaw-dropping time of 2:04:45, winning the Boston Marathon and falling short of the world record by one minute. His brother, Wesley Korir, who won the race in 2012 with a time of 2:12:40, cheered John Korir on the entire time. John Korir’s 2025 Boston Marathon win also made history as the first win for siblings in history.
While Lokedi and Korir struck out with their winning times, the marathon was full of other remarkable performances. Representing the United States, Conner Mantz spent a long time in the leading group, and ultimately finished in fourth place with a time of 2:05:08. This accomplishment marked the best an American man had done since 2018. Jess McClain was also a top runner from team USA, placing seventh for women with a time of 2:22:43.
In the wheelchair events, Marcel Hug won the race for the eighth time in the past ten years, while Susannah Scaroni won the women’s wheelchair marathon.
For the upcoming 2026 Boston Marathon, the qualification times were reduced. Age groups 18-59 will have to run faster than the previous requirement by five minutes to be eligible and male runners from 18-34 years of age must run a qualifying marathon under 2:55:00—the first time under three hours! The recent 2025 Boston Marathon times and the new high bars have shocked audiences from all over, but it also begs the question: what does this rising level of competition mean for the future of the marathon?
Jack Fleming, president and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), acknowledged this issue in a statement last year. He claimed, “The sport of marathoning is reaching record levels from both a participation and speed standpoint. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept all athletes into the field, though we do want to recognize, thank, and applaud all whose goal was to be part of the 2025 event.” However, this also clarifies that there is not a direct solution.
While there is not a concrete answer for this rising level of competition, it is clear that the Boston Marathon is evolving rapidly. As runners will be forced to surpass faster qualifying times, what does this mean for the marathon’s future? Will the race be reasonably accessible to ambitious and passionate runners, or will it become so exclusive that only a few elite runners will be able to compete?