John Korir defended his men’s title at the 2026 Boston Marathon as the Kenyan shattered the course record to become only the fifth man to dip under two hours and two minutes over the distance.
Korir was second at the half-way stage in 1:01:50, seven seconds behind Lemi Berhanu, but the defending champion made a push for the lead after 20 miles and grabbed control of the elite men’s race, surging clear of his rivals to eventually clock a time of 02:01:52 – more than a minute better than the previous best in Boston. Only Kelvin Kiptum, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele and Sisay Lemma have ever run quicker.
