Olympians, Paralympians, Global Marathon Winners To Compete at 125th Boston Marathon

Olympians, Paralympians, Global Marathon Winners To Compete at 125th Boston Marathon

October’s 125^th Boston Marathon features world class fields as part of the Professional Men, Women, Wheelchair, and Para Athletics Divisions

BOSTON–The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced more than 140 athletes will compete at the 125^th Boston Marathon as part of the John Hancock Professional Athlete Team. Olympians, Paralympians, global marathon winners, and 13 previously announced Boston champions will race from Hopkinton to Boston on October 11 in the first fall edition of the Boston Marathon.

“In October, many of the world’s best athletes will look to etch their names in the history books by winning the 125^th Boston Marathon,” said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. President and Chief Executive Officer. “We very much look forward to October’s competition, bringing together winners from more than one hundred global marathons. The B.A.A. is eager to continue the tradition of athletic excellence as we return to the roads leading to Boston.”

“John Hancock is proud to support this year’s professional field for the monumental, 125th running of the Boston Marathon,” said Kate Ardini, Chief Marketing Officer at John Hancock. “In our 36th year as principal sponsor, John Hancock is committed to supporting the world’s top athletes as they aim for greatness in Boston. We look forward to cheering on every athlete as they make their way to the finish.”

WOMEN’S OPEN & WHEELCHAIR DIVISION

Nine women who have clocked lifetime bests of under 2:22 will line up in Hopkinton, including Ethiopia’s Yebrgual Melese, whose 2:19:36 personal best ranks fastest in the field. She’ll be joined by compatriot and two-time Boston podium finisher Mare Dibaba, the 2015 World Athletics Championships gold medalist and 2016 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist. Ethiopian 2:20:24 marathoner Workenesh Edesa, winner of past Xiamen, Lanzhou, and Marrakech Marathons, will make her Boston debut.

Five of the top seven finishers from the 2019 Boston Marathon return, aiming to break the tape on Boylston Street: Edna Kiplagat(Kenya), Jordan Hasay (USA), Des Linden (USA), Caroline Rotich (Kenya), and Mary Ngugi (Kenya). Hasay is the second fastest American marathoner in history and twice a third-place finisher in Boston, while Ngugi is a past winner of the B.A.A. 10K and B.A.A. Half Marathon. Kiplagat, Linden, and Rotich were previously announced among a contingent of 13 Boston winners set to compete in October.

Joining Hasay and Linden among the American contingent are two-time Olympian and Providence resident Molly Huddle; Twin Cities Marathon champion Nell Rojas; and former Syracuse University All-American Paige Stoner. Huddle is the U.S. record holder for the 10 mile distance and owns the B.A.A. 5K course record.

Team USA wheelchair Paralympians Susannah Scaroni and Jenna Fesemyer will also compete, joining a strong professional wheelchair field that includes course record holder Manuela Schär and five-time champion Tatyana McFadden. Among international contenders are Shelly Woods (Great Britain), Margriet van den Broek (Netherlands), and Vanessa de Souza(Brazil).

MEN’S OPEN & WHEELCHAIR DIVISION

A mix of experienced veterans and marathon debutants will bring excitement to the men’s race. A trio of Kenyans with prior top-five finishes in Boston look to contend for the win, as Wilson Chebet, Felix Kandie, and Paul Lonyangata will use knowledge of the undulating course to their advantage. They’ll be up against a trifecta of sub-2:06 Ethiopians in Lemi Berhanu, the 2015 Boston champion, and Dejene Debela and Asefa Mengstu, who finished second and third at the 2019 Chicago Marathon. Both Debela and Mengstu will be running their first Boston.

After much success over the half marathon and in cross country, Kenya’s Leonard Barsoton and Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer will both make their long awaited marathon debuts in Boston. Barsoton earned a silver medal at the World Cross Country Championships in 2017, while Yimer owns the Ethiopian national record of 58:33 in the half marathon.

Eight of the top 12 finishers from the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon will also compete in Boston, led by 2021 Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, fresh off a 41^st place finish in the Olympic Marathon last week, and Scott Fauble, seventh place and top American finisher at the 2019 Boston Marathon. B.A.A. High Performance Team members Matt McDonald, Jonas Hampton, and Paul Hogan will sport the adidas unicorn uniform from Hopkinton to Boston as well.

Aaron Pike, who will compete for Team USA at the Paralympic Marathon, joins a robust professional wheelchair field that includes four champions – Daniel Romanchuk, Marcel Hug, Ernst van Dyk, and Josh Cassidy – with a combined 16 Boston Marathon titles. Eight-time Paralympic medalist David Weir of Great Britain is also entered. Challengers from Japan include Hiroki Nishida, Kota Hokinoue, and Tomoki Suzuki, the latter of whom is the reigning Tokyo Marathon champion.

PARA ATHLETICS DIVISIONS TOP CONTENDERS

As part of the inaugural Para Athletics Divisions at the Boston Marathon, many athletes will compete for prize money and awards within the vision impaired and lower-limb impaired divisions. Among those competing are 2016 Paralympians Chaz Davis (T12), Liz Willis (T64), and marathon silver medalist and current world record holder Misato Michishita (T12) of Japan. Davis, a Massachusetts native, holds the T12 American record of 2:31:48 for the marathon, while Willis is a converted sprinter-turned-distance runner for Team USA. Also competing is Marko Cheseto Lemtukei, the world best holder for the T62 marathon having run 2:37:23 in 2019. The Boston Marathon is the first major marathon to offer prize money and awards for athletes with vision, lower-limb, and upper-limb impairments.

The complete John Hancock Professional Athlete Team field list can be found below. For media planning to cover the 125^th Boson Marathon both in-person and from afar, athlete bios, race information, updated media materials, and credential application information will be available in the coming weeks.

WOMEN’S OPEN DIVISION

Athletes with ^ next to their names are Masters (40+) athletes

MEN’S OPEN DIVISION