After grand Boston Marathon, runners partied their tailwinds off

Kenyan John Korir makes his way to the trophy presentation after finishing first in the men's elite division of the 130th Boston Marathon. Joseph Prezioso / Getty Images Share articleBOSTON — For the second straight year, Kenya’s John Korir captured the men’s elite division in the Boston Marathon. So hefty was his lead that Korir pretty much had the Boylston Street home stretch all to himself as he roared to the finish line. But Korir also claimed yet another victory of sorts on this chilly Patriots’ Day Monday, a victory that was made known to him when Jack Fleming, president/CEO of the Boston Athletic Association, whispered into his ear. That’s when Korir learned that his time — 2:01:52 — was the fastest in Boston Marathon history. Korir is 29, but his reaction to what Fleming told him was to jump up, down and around like a 12-year-old. Not only was it a spectacularly beautiful thing, but this display of joy by Korir — pronounced “career” — was a symbolic gesture on behalf of the entire marathon field. Thanks to a generous tailwind and a runner-friendly temperature of 49 degrees at the time Korir crossed the finish line, it was a textbook-perfect day for the participants in the 130th edition of this 26.2-mile Hopkinton-to-Copley Square road race. If maybe not for spectators who didn’t pack a hoodie when they headed out to the Johnny Kelley statue, Scream Alley, Kenmore Square and other marathon hangouts. Korir beat the previous Boston Marathon men’s record of 2:03:02 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011, but he wasn’t the only runner to do so. Second-place finisher Alphonce Felix Simbu of Tanzania (2:02:47) and third-place finisher Benson Kipruto of Kenya (2:02:50) also bettered Mutai’s 2011 finish. Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi defended her women’s title in 2:18:51. Her time last year of 2:17.22 stands as the course record. As for top American finishers, Jess McClain finished fifth in the women’s division with a time of 2:20:49, a personal best for her and the fastest time by an American woman in the Boston Marathon. On the men’s side, Zouhair Talbi finished fifth overall in 2:03:35, and let’s all say it together: It was the fastest time by an American man in the Boston Marathon. “Of course, I knew there was going to be a tailwind, which is an advantage for us to run a fast time,” Talbi said. “But, still, the pace is determined by the leaders, and you just want to follow the pace.” “I think on the women’s side there were rumblings throughout the weekend about the tailwind,” she said. “But I was just game to go out any which way.” The runners knew, then, that this might be a day for Fast Times at Heartbreak Hill. That was literally the case for Korir, considering that’s about where he pulled away from the pack. And if spectators didn’t know it was a day for speedy runs, it was made clear after Fleming leaned in to Korir and delivered his news bulletin — rather, news flash. “For me, when I crossed the finish line, I didn’t know that I’d won the course record,” Korir said. “When they told me, ‘You won the course record,’ that’s when I started to be happy.” With a time of 2:01:52, John Korir is a back-to-back men's Boston Marathon champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/CZP17D8dfH Fleming had been in touch with Korir since last year, hoping to get the 2025 men’s winner to return to Boston to defend his title. “These phenomenal athletes have choices and can run wherever they want — London, Tokyo, Boston,” Fleming said. “So after he finished, I wanted to say thank you for choosing to come back to Boston. And when I said that, he said, ‘What was my time?’ I told him it was a course record. And that’s when he started jumping. “If I had just finished running a marathon, I think I’d be on the ground,” Fleming said. “I wouldn’t have any lift. He sure did. I guess he had some air in whatever running shoes he was wearing. I sort of assumed he already knew his time. But of course he’s just focused on running as fast as possible, and he wasn’t even looking at his watch.” If you want fast times, timing is everything. It so happens that Korir’s brother, Wesley Korir, won the 2012 Boston Marathon … but in a time of 2:12:40. It probably didn’t help him that the 2012 Boston Marathon was run in absolutely brutal conditions, with temperatures reaching a high of 88 degrees during the day. Not so on April 20, 2026, for the 130th Boston Marathon. And it wasn’t just the elite runners who were partying their tailwinds off. “I was near the finish line as the later runners were coming along,” Fleming said. “And usually you keep hearing people say that this course beat the you-know-what out of me, and, ‘I’m really cramping up,’ and ‘Wow, that was really tough.’” “All anybody was saying was ’What a day,’ ‘What a day,’ ‘What a day,’” Fleming said. “You could hear it everywhere.” And you could see it, with John Korir kicking off the party. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms