Hellen Obiri eyes historic third Boston Marathon win as star-studded field unveiled
Kenyan marathoner Hellen Obiri is setting her sights on a third consecutive victory at the 2025 Boston Marathon, a feat only achieved by a select few in the race's history. With a stellar lineup of challengers, including Olympic medallists and marathon specialists, Obiri faces a tough battle to maintain her dominance on the hilly Boston course.
Kenyan marathoner Hellen Obiri, 35, is set to pursue her third consecutive victory at the Boston Marathon, as the organisers announce a star-studded field for this year’s race, scheduled for Monday, April 21.
After winning the 2023 and 2024 Boston Marathons, Obiri will aim to become the fourth woman in history to secure three consecutive victories. The others who have achieved this are Americans Bobbi Gibb (1966-1968), Sara Mae Berman (1969-1971), German Uta Pippig (1994-1996), and Ethiopian Fatuma Roba (1997-1999).
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Obiri is the only woman to have won world titles in indoor track, outdoor track, and cross-country, making her one of the most outstanding female athletes of her generation. She began her marathon career with a flawless record, winning the 2023 New York Marathon and securing two victories at the Boston Marathon. Her bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics marked her third Olympic medal, following her silver medals in the 5,000 metres at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games.
Obiri, who lost her perfect marathon record while competing in her first 42-kilometre race outside the USA, is determined to maintain her dominance on American soil. However, she will face stiff competition from athletes with better personal bests, some of whom have previously impressed at the Boston Marathon.
“Defending a win is never easy, and to win the Boston Marathon twice in a row was hard, but I am happy to have done it,” Obiri told the Boston Athletics Association website. “On race day I will again push for the win and hope to make it three in a row.”
The star-studded field for this year’s women’s competition features seven runners with marathon times under 2:20. However, those fast times do not guarantee a fast race on April 21, as the Boston Marathon is notorious for its challenging, hilly course, which historically makes it difficult for women to finish under 2:20. The course record, set by Ethiopian runner Buzunesh Deba at 2:19:59 in 2014, exemplifies the marathon’s reputation, being just one second below the 2:20 mark.
While Obiri is the defending champion, she enters the 2025 Boston Marathon with a personal best of 2:21:38, ranking 13th among the elite female competitors. Her best time was recorded during her 2023 Boston Marathon victory.
Ethiopian Amane Beriso (2:14:58 in Valencia, 2022), who finished 12 seconds behind Obiri in 2023, heads the list of sub-2:20 marathoners in this year’s race. Her compatriot, Yalemzerf Yehualaw (2:16:52 in Amsterdam, 2024), will make her Boston Marathon debut, hoping to add to her 2022 London Marathon victory.
Kenyan Irine Cheptai (2:17:51 in Chicago, 2024), who finished third in the 2024 Chicago Marathon, will also be debuting at Boston this year. Another debutant, Kenyan-born Romanian Joan Melly (2:18:04 in Seoul, 2022), comes with a lot to prove, having never finished higher than 5th in her previous World Marathon Majors races.
At 40 years old, American Keira D'Amato (2:19:12 in Houston, 2022) returns to the Boston Marathon for the first time since 2018, when she finished 46th with a time of 2:56:44. D'Amato leads a strong American contingent that includes 2018 Boston Marathon winner Desiree Linden, Emma Bates, Lindsay Flanagan, Nell Rojas, Sara Hall, and Sara Vaughn.
Ethiopian Rahma Tusa (2:19:33 in Houston, 2024) will be another debutant looking to make her mark after winning the 2024 Houston Marathon.
The evergreen Kenyan Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50 in London, 2012), who turned 45 in November, is a two-time Boston Marathon champion who continues to defy age. She won the event on her debut in 2017 and again in 2021, at 41 years old, making her the oldest-ever winner of a World Marathon Major (male or female). Kiplagat returns to compete in Boston for the eighth time following appearances in 2018 (9th), 2019 (2nd), 2022 (4th), 2023 (10th), and 2024 (3rd).
Beyond these top contenders, Obiri’s compatriots Sharon Lokedi and Mary Ngugi will also be in the mix. Lokedi finished second behind Obiri in the 2023 Boston Marathon, just eight seconds behind with a time of 2:22:45. She won the 2022 New York Marathon and finished third in 2023. Ngugi, a five-time Boston Marathon competitor, finished second in 2021 and third in 2022.
Sharon Cherop, who won the event in 2012 and finished third in 2011, is also among the elite entrants looking to challenge Obiri’s pursuit of Boston Marathon history.
