Moving powerfully but composedly all the way to the finish line, Sharon Lokedi of Kenya claimed victory at the 2025 Boston Marathon in an outstanding time of 2:17:22. So outstanding was her time, in fact, that it bettered the previous women’s course record of 2:19:59, set by Buzunesh Deba in 2014, by two minutes and 37 seconds.

Defending champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya – who also won the race in 2023 – was this year’s runner-up in 2:17:41, just missing out on the three-peat but still running faster than Deba’s former Boston Marathon mark. Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia completed the podium in 2:18:06, which again improved upon the previous course record.

In the early stages of the race, which took place on on Monday (21 April), Amane Beriso of Ethiopia took control of the lead pack. Somewhat fearlessly, she surged forward at around the 20-minute and 10K marks, before making an even stronger move around 10 miles in.

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From there, a group of five leaders formed: Beriso, Obiri, Lokedi, Yehualaw and Irine Cheptai of Kenya. This quintet settled during the 13th mile and came through the half marathon th place, Jess McClain USA.

During the 17th mile, Beriso and Yehualaw began to push up a hill – one of the many along the undulating Boston Marathon course. Obiri was able to cover the move, but Lokedi and Cheptai could not match this pace at the start. Somehow, though, over the next five minutes, Lokedi willed herself back to the front of the race.

By the 35km mark, Beriso had fallen off the lead group, which meant that it was now down to Obiri, Lokedi and Yehualaw.

Lokedi started to ramp up the pace with just over 10 minutes to go, dropping Yehualaw in the process. Now, it was down to the same two women as last year – but this time, the result was different. Obiri, the defending champion, tried to make a move in the final mile, but Lokedi, who placed second at the Boston Marathon twelve months ago, wouldn’t let her overtake. Lokedi pressed even harder to open up a gap on her compatriot, cementing her win on the finishing straight. Having broken the tape at the New York City Marathon in 2022, this latest result marks the second time that Lokedi has won an Abbott World Marathon Majors race.

Meanwhile, a small contingent of British elites braved the Boston hills this year. This encompassed long-distance specialists Lily Partridge, who finished 23rd in 2:32:19, and Calli Thackery, who placed sixth in a time of 2:22:38. This brilliant result is only 21 seconds slower than Thackery’s PB of 2:22:17, which she achieved at the much flatter McKirdy Micro Marathon in New York in 2023.

The weather conditions in Boston this year were near-ideal for marathon running. The temperature at the start line in Hopkinton was around 10°C when the elites got moving, with still conditions and sunny skies continuing for the rest of the race.

Boston Marathon women’s prize money

  • 1st place, Sharon Lokedi (KEN): $150,000, plus $50,000 for the resetting the course record, giving a total of $200,000
  • 2nd place, Hellen Obiri (KEN): $75,000
  • 3rd place, Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH): $40,000
  • 4th place, Irine Cheptai (KEN): $25,000
  • 5th place, Amane Beriso (ETH): $18,000
  • 6th place, Calli Thackery (GBR): $13,500
  • 7th place, Jess McClain (USA): $10,500
  • 8th place, Annie Frisbie (USA): $8,500
  • 9th place, Stacy Ndiwa (KEN): $7,000
  • 10th place, Tsige Haileslase (ETH): $5,500
From: Runner's World US