Sharon Lokedi of Kenya won the 2025 Boston Marathon on Monday in a time of 2:17:22. Her time was 2 minutes, 37 seconds faster than Buzunesh Deba’s course record of 2:19:59 from 2014.
Kenya’s Hellen Obiri was runner-up in 2:17:41, and Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia rounded out the podium in 2:18:06. The top American was Jess McClain, who ran 2:22:43 to finish in seventh place.
In the early stages, Amane Beriso took control of the lead pack. Around the 20-minute mark, Beriso surged at a bottle station, which gapped many of the Americans. Annie Frisbie was the only U.S. runner to bridge back up to the top group, and Emma Bates, Sara Hall, and Jess McClain formed a chase pack.
Beriso surged again around 10K at an aid station to string out the field, then made an even stronger move around the 10 mile mark, running a 5:07 mile. There, a group of five formed: Beriso, Obiri, Lokedi, Yehualaw, and Irine Cheptai.
The quintet settled during the 13th mile and came through the half marathon split in 1:08:46 (2:17:31 pace).
During the 17th mile, Beriso and Yehualaw began to push up a hill. Obiri was able to cover the move, but Lokedi and Cheptai could not match initially. But somehow, over the next five minutes, Lokedi willed herself back to the front of the race.
By the 35K mark, Beriso had fallen off the lead group, and it was down to Obiri, Lokedi, and Yehualaw.
Lokedi started to ramp up the pace at 2:05 mark, dropping Yehualaw in the process, and it was down to the same two women as last year. But this time, the result was different. Obiri, the reigning champion, tried to make a move with a mile to go, but Lokedi wouldn’t let her overtake. Lokedi pressed even harder and opened up a gap on her compatriot, which she maintained through the finish.
The weather conditions were near-ideal for marathoning. The temperature at the start line in Hopkinton was 50 degrees when the pros set out, with little wind and sunny skies.
Women’s prize money
- 1st place, Sharon Lokedi, $150,000 plus $50,000 bonus for the course record, total $200,000
- 2Lightweight Running Shoes
- 3A Part of Hearst Digital Media
- 4A Part of Hearst Digital Media
- 5th place, Amane Beriso, $18,000
- 6Workouts to Help You Qualify for Boston
- 7Workouts to Help You Qualify for Boston
- 8Best New Balance Shoes
- 9DAA Industry Opt Out
- 10th place, Tsige Haileslase, $5,500
Races - Places Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
