CYPRUS HOPE TO COMEBACK AT BOSTON MARATHON
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission.
(Jan. 21) — Benson Kipruto, the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medalist in the marathon, is by at least one measure the most successful marathoner on American soil. The 34-year-old Kenyan, who is represented by adidas, is the only person in history to win all three US races at the Abbott World Marathon Majors and an Olympic marathon medal. He won the Boston Marathon in 2021, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2022, and the TCS New York City Marathon in 2025. Remarkably, he is the only person to have won the Boston Marathon in October (the 2021 race was postponed due to the April-19 pandemic).
The Boston Marathon, which will be held for the 130th time on Monday, April 20, has always held a special significance for Kenyan athletes, especially Kipruto. He ran the race four times. He finished only tenth in his first appearance in 2019, then won in 2021 after soloing American CJ Albertson, who enjoyed a one-minute, 41-second lead in the 25-K. Kipruto caught him in the 21st mile.
“I didn’t know someone was ahead,” Kipruto later admitted to reporters, a little embarrassed.
He returned in 2022 and finished third behind his training partner Evans Chebet and another Kenyan, Lawrence Cherono, who was later banned for seven years for doping. In 2023, he finished third for the second time, again beating Chebet and also Gabriel Gay of Tanzania. He hasn’t raced in Boston since and is excited to be back this year. Instead, he ran the Tokyo Marathon, which has been held in early March for the past two years.
“Boston holds a special place in my heart,” Kipruto said in a statement released by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), the founders and organizer of the race. “I won my first major there in 2021 and finished third twice. I’m looking forward to starting my 2026 season and racing the men’s fast group in April.”
Kipruto’s latest comment was not hyperbole. Even with super shoes and inflated times, this year’s Boston men’s field is exceptionally fast. Twenty-five men in the elite field have run sub-2:07 in their careers (ten of them have run sub-2:05), and Cypruto’s fastest challenger is compatriot John Korir, the defending champion of the race, who rallied from last October’s Chicago Marathon exit to win the Valencia Marathon last month in a 2:2 personal best. It was the #3 performance of 2025.
“I think I finished my year with a personal best and I say ‘thanks to God’ and all the people who were behind it,” Korir told Pulse Sports in Kenya last month.
Among Kipruto’s other main rivals are reigning marathon world champion Alphonse Simbu of Tanzania, who finished second to Koir in Boston last year and then won the world sprint title in Tokyo last September by just 3/100ths of a second. He was also a bronze medalist at the 2017 World Championships in London.
“Today I made history. Tanzania’s first gold medal at the World Championships,” Simbu said after his victory in Tokyo. “I remember I won bronze at the World Championships in London in 2017, then I ran a lot of times but didn’t get any medals, so finally here it is.”
Overall, BAA managed to lure back eight of the top 10 men from last year’s race. Among them are Kenyan SeaBrian Kotut (3rd in 2025), Utah’s Conner Mantz (4th) and Clayton Young (7th), Canada’s Rory Linklater (6th), Lesotho’s Thebello Ramakongoana (8th). Last October, Mantz broke Khalid Khanushi’s 23-year-old national marathon record in Chicago and will run in Boston for the third time.
“Finishing fourth a year ago was very close to my goal of placing in the top three,” Mantz said in a statement last month. “I want to go back to Boston and compete again against the best of the best. Boston is full of history, and I work to bring every step of the way to Boylston Street.”
Other top men include Abdi Nagey of the Netherlands, 2021 Olympic marathon silver medalist and 2024 New York Marathon champion; Ethiopia’s Lemi Berhanou, 2016 Boston Marathon champion; Oregonian Galen Rupp, a two-time Olympic medalist who turns 40 in May; and Colorado’s Zuhair Talbi, who just won the Chevron Houston Marathon in a personal best and course record of 2:05:45. Talbi, who was nominated for Morocco at the 2024 Olympics, will be eligible to represent the United States at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
In the elite wheelchair division, all eyes will be on Switzerland’s Marcel Hug, the world’s most dominant wheelchair racer. Hugue, who turned 40 last week, won for the eighth time in Boston last April. His margin of victory over runner-up Daniel Romanchuk was more than five minutes. Last year’s Hug victory came on the 50th anniversary of American Bob Hall becoming the first wheelchair finisher of the race. Hall participated in the 2025 race as a special guest.
“One of my first racing chairs was a hall chair,” Hoog said. “He opened the door for us to participate here.”
Race winners in the professional men’s and women’s divisions will earn $150,000 in prize money, the highest first-place prize among the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors events. Professional wheelchair champions will earn $50,000, and course records in both divisions are worth another $50,000.
The elite men’s field for the 2026 Boston Marathon is shown below with personal best times:
PROFESSIONAL MEN’S DIVISION –
Benson Kipruto, KEN, 2:02:16 (Tokyo, 2024)
John Korir, KEN, 2:02:44 (Chicago, 2024)
CyBrian Kotut, KEN, 2:03:22 (Berlin 2024)
Abdi Nagei, NED, 2:04:20 (London, 2025)
Lemi Berhanou, ETH, 2:04:33 (Dubai, 2016)
Hailemaryam Kiros, ETH, 2:04:35 (Sydney, 2025) CR
Alex Massai, KEN, 2:04:37 (Chicago, 2025)
Alphonse Felix Simbu, TAN, 2:04:38 (Valencia, 2024)
Mohamed Esa, ETH, 2:04:39 (Chicago, 2024)
Conner Mantz, USA, 2:04:43 (Chicago, 2025) NO
Johannes Chiappinelli, ITA, 2:05:24 (Valencia, 2024) NR
Bernard Bivot, KEN, 2:05:25 (Paris, 2025)
Kennedy Kimutai, KEN, 2:05:27 (Rotterdam, 2025)
Zuhair Talbi, MAR/USA, 2:05:45 (Houston, 2026)
Richard Ringer, GER, 2:05:46 (Valencia, 2024)
Sondre Moen, NOR, 2:05:48 (Fukuoka, 2017) NO:
Galen Rupp, USA, 2:06:07 (Prague, 2018)
Akira Akasaki, JPN, 2:06:15 (Berlin, 2025)
Tebello Ramakongoana, LES, 2:06:18 (Xiamen) NR
Andy Buchanan, USA, 2:06:22 (Valencia 2024) AR/NR
gechu not, eth, 2:06:45 (Valencia, 2025)
Hendrik Pfeiffer, GDR, 2:06:45 (Valencia, 2025)
Rory Linklater, CAN, 2:06:49 (Chicago, 2025)
Biya Simbassa, USA, 2:06:53 (Valance, 2024)
Clayton Young, USA, 2:07:04 (Boston, 2025)
Tsegai Velbanos, Erie, 2:07:35 (Sacramento, 2024)
Patrick Tiernan, USA, 2:07:45 (Houston, 2024)
Ryan Ford, USA, 2:08:00 (Boston, 2025)
CJ Albertson, USA, 2:08:17 (Chicago, 2024)
Yemane Haileselassie, ERI, 2:08:25 (Houston, 2025)
Alex Mayer, USA, 2:08:33 (Dusseldorf, 2025)
Amaury Paquet, BEL, 2:08:44 (Valencia, 2023)
Sam Chelanga (40+), USA, 2:08:50 (Chicago, 2023)
Daniel Mesfun, USA, 2:08:51 (Dublin, 2025)
Wesley Kiptu, USA, 2:08:54 (Boston, 2025)
Ben Preisner, KANO, 2:08:58 (Oita, 2024)
Second Jami, ECU, 2:09:05 (Valencia, 2023) NR
Turner Wiley, USA, 2:09:27 (Chandler, 2025)
Colin Benny, USA, 2:09:38 (Chandler, 2020)
Christian Allen, USA, 2:09:58 (Sacramento, 2025)
Charles Hicks, USA/GBR, 2:09:59 (NYC, 2025)
Tiidrek Nurme, EST, 2:10:02 (Seville, 2020)
Nick Hauger, USA, 2:10:18 (Chandler, 2025)
Joe Klecker, USA, 2:10:37 (NYC, 2025)
Chris Maxon, USA, 2:10:55 (Sacramento, 2025)
Juan Luis Barrios (40+), MEX, 2:10:55 (Tokyo, 2018)
Jacob Thompson, USA, 2:10:56 (Sacramento, 2025)
Thijs Nijhuis, DEN, 2:10:57 (Seville, 2020)
Barry Keen, IRL, 2:11:31 (Chandler, 2025)
Jason Weitzel, USA, 2:11:45 (Sacramento, 2025)
Murphy Smith, USA, 2:11:59 (Sacramento, 2025)
Robert Miranda, USA, 2:12:07 (Sacramento, 2024)
Riley Nedrow, USA, 2:12:47 (Tucson, 2024)
Matias Silva, CHI, 2:12:48 (Seville, 2025)
Ryan Johnson, USA, 2:12:58 (Sacramento, 2025)
Martin Olesen, DEN, 2:13:17 (Valencia, 2025)
Ben Olson, USA, 2:13:25 (Sacramento, 2025)
Ryan Euler, USA, 2:13:36 (NYC, 2024)
Primoz Kobe (40+), SLO, 2:13:36 (Sienna, 2021)
Jack Mastandrea, USA, 2:14:02 (Sacramento, 2025)
Esteban Trujillo (40+), USA, 2:14:32 (Sacramento, 2025)
Dominic Arce, USA, 2:14:32 (Vancouver, 2025)
Christopher Mugridge, USA, 2:15:01 (Chandler, 2025)
Edward Mulder, USA, 2:15:07 (Berlin, 2025)
Michael Ottesen, USA, 2:15:21 (Sacramento, 2024)
Garrett Corcoran, USA, 2:15:46 (Napa Valley, 2025
Charlie Lawrence, USA, 2:16:10 (Valley Cottage, 2023)
Prescott Leach (40+), USA, 2:17:29 (Sacramento, 2023)
Karabo L Koenaite Sr. (40+), RSA, 2:18:03 (Cape Gate Vaal)
Meng-Tsung S Chu (40+), TPE, 2:19:36 (Berlin, 2024)
Aaron Mettler (40+), USA, 2:19:48 (St. George, 2025)
Petter Engdahl, SWE, Debut
PROFESSIONAL WHEELCHAIR SECTION –
Marcel Hug, SUI, 1:15:33 (Boston, 2024)
Josh Cassidy, RULE, 1:18:25 (Boston, 2012)
Johnboy Smith, GBR, 1:20:05 (At Grandma’s, 2022)
Daniel Romanchuk, USA, 1:20:37 (Boston, 2024)
Hokkien City, JPN, 1:22:01 (Oensingen, 2011)
Rafael Botello Jimenez, ESP, 1:22:09 (Boston, 2017)
David Weir, GBR, 1:22:12 (Boston, 2024)
Patrick Monahan, IRL, 1:22:23 (Grandma, 2019)
Miguel Jimenez-Vergara, USA, 1:22:24 (Grandma, 2024)
Sho Watanabe, JPN, 1:24:00 (Oita, 2019)
Hermin Garich, USA, 1:24:18 (Tatiki, 2022)
Jayna Senbeta, USA, 1:24:27 (Boston, 2017)
Jetze Plat, NED, 1:24:28 (Tubai, 2023)
Brian Seaman, USA, 1:26:46 (Boston, 2017)
Evan Correll, USA, 1:27:19 (Grandma’s, 2022)
Jason Robinson, USA, 1:29:01 (Grandma’s, 2022)
Gert Schipper, NED, 1:30:33 (Berlin, 2024)
Wyatt Willand, USA, 1:31:16 (Boston, 2024)
Sean Frame, GBR, 1:31:18 (Berlin, 2023)
Tiaan Bosch, RSA, 1:33:17 (Grandma’s, 2024)
Dustin Stahlberg, USA, 1:36:13 (Boston, 2024)
Valera Jacob Allen, USA, 1:43:59 (Boston, 2023)
