Hellen Obiri and Sisay Lemma will defend their titles at the Boston Marathon

Defending Boston Marathon champions Hellen Obiri and Sisay Lemma will also be among the participants in this year’s race on April 21. Hellen Obiri is the only woman in history to hold world titles in the indoor, outdoor and cross-country events, and she hopes to become the first woman to win the Boston Marathon three times since Fatuma Roba in 1999.

“Defending your title is never easy. Winning the Boston Marathon twice in a row was tough, but I’m happy I did it. On race day, I’ll give my all to win and hopefully make it three in a row”, said Hellen Obiri.

The three-time Olympic medalist will face a tough task, however, as seven athletes with sub-2:20 hours will line up at the start, including world champion Amane Beriso Shankule. She has a personal best of 2:14:58 hours. This is also the strongest result of any female participant.

The 2022 London Marathon winner Yalemzerf Yehualaw, two-time Boston Marathon winner Edna Kiplagat, 2022 New York City champion Sharon Lokedi, Irene Chepet Cheptai and Sharon Cherop are the other leading female participants.

Last year’s men’s winner Sisay Lemma enters the race with a personal best of 2:01:48 hours from his success in Valencia in 2023. This is also the fourth fastest time in the marathon’s all-time rankings.

“I was very happy after winning the Boston Marathon last year and in 2025 I know it will be an even bigger challenge to win again. I was unlucky because I was unable to compete in the Paris Olympics due to injury and I was not fully ready for the Valencia Marathon last December. But I will be 100% ready in April because the Boston Marathon is a special event”, said Sisay Lemma.