Boston Marathon unveils defending champs, American record holders for 130th edition

When the Boston Marathon celebrates its 130th running this April, it will do so in historic fashion, welcoming back both defending champions and the fastest marathoners in U.S. history. On Thursday, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced that 2025 champion John Korir and American record holder Conner Mantz will headline the men’s elite field, while Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi looks to defend her title against first-time Boston runner and 2:18 American marathoner Emily Sisson.

1️⃣3️⃣0️⃣ MORE DAYS UNTIL #BOSTON130‼️🦄#BostonMarathon #PatriotsDay pic.twitter.com/ckTe9TRTI5

— Boston Marathon (@bostonmarathon) December 11, 2025

Last April, Lokedi delivered a record-setting performance, smashing the course record that had stood since 2014 with a time of 2:17:22. Her run took more than two minutes and 30 seconds off the previous best (2:19:59). She has since added a runner-up finish at the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon.

Sisson will be among the most serious threats to Lokedi’s crown as she tackles the famed Hopkinton-to-Boston route for the first time. The two-time U.S. Olympian has deep ties to New England (previously attending Providence College), and she has several podium finishes at the B.A.A.’s Boston 10K. Her 2:18:29 from the 2022 Chicago Marathon still stands as the American marathon record.

In a press release from the B.A.A., Sisson said Boston is a race she has dreamed of running for years. “I’m ready to take on the challenging course and be part of one of the most legendary races in our sport,” she said.

On the men’s side, Kenyan standout Korir returns in search of another olive wreath. His victory last year, which was earned despite taking a fall at the start, made him and his brother Wesley Korir (the 2012 champion) the first siblings ever to win the Boston Marathon. Korir will arrive at Boston in his best form, fresh off a 2:02:24 performance in Valencia that vaulted him to eighth on the world all-time list.

Mantz also returns after placing fourth in 2025, the best performance by an American man in Boston since 2018. He now comes in as the U.S. record holder thanks to his 2:04:43 fourth-place finish at the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

“Finishing fourth a year ago was very close to my goal of placing in the top three,” Mantz said in a press release. “I’m eager to return to Boston and race against the best of the best again. Boston’s full of history, and I’m working to give it my all every step toward Boylston Street.”

With Mantz and Sisson both confirmed for the start line, 2026 marks the first time since 1978 that the men’s and women’s American marathon record holders will compete in the same edition of the Boston Marathon.

The B.A.A. says the full men’s and women’s professional field will be unveiled in January 2026.