Marathon Monday Returns: Obiri, Lemma, and the Unscripted Drama of Boston

Marathon Monday Returns: Obiri, Lemma, and the Unscripted Drama of Boston

The Boston Marathon is many things—historic, grueling, unpredictable, but above all, it is theatre. No script ever holds, no plan remains untouched. Each year, Boston reminds us that marathoning at its highest level is an act of athletic improvisation, where training and tactics meet the volatile rhythms of weather, terrain, and willpower.

On April 21st,  the streets from Hopkinton to Boylston Street will once again host a world-class cast of competitors, headlined by defending champions Sisay Lemma and Hellen Obiri, vying for glory over a course that has humbled legends and made heroes out of the unlikeliest contenders.

A Course That Breaks Conventions

Boston’s point-to-point, east-to-west route is as infamous as it is iconic. The net-downhill profile of the first 14 miles may seem forgiving on paper, but it lulls runners into a punishing rhythm, setting up the Newton Hills—a gauntlet from miles 17 through 21—as a cruel turning point.

The absence of pacemakers ensures unpredictability; strategies splinter and rebuild in real time. Race tactics here range from methodical patience to reckless abandon. The wind, ever the wild card, shifts the race dynamics, too. Current forecasts suggest light crosswinds or a potential 10mph headwind. Add in spring temperatures hovering in the high 50s to low 60s with low humidity, and conditions are expected to be decent, perhaps not ideal, but far from the 2018 downpour that defined one of the most chaotic editions in recent memory.

Sisay Lemma: Redemption and Reign

Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma returns not just as the reigning champion, but as the man who redefined what a daring front-run can achieve in Boston. Last year, Lemma surged ahead in Mile 5 and blitzed the halfway mark in 60:19—the fastest in Boston history. He built a near three-minute lead by Mile 20 and, despite fading slightly over the Newton Hills, held on to win in 2:06:17. It was a performance that broke convention and exorcised past disappointments, including DNFs in 2017 and 2022.

Since then, Lemma clocked a 2:01:48 PB in Valencia, the fourth-fastest marathon ever run, and followed it up with a 2:04:59 in the same city after being forced out of the Olympics due to injury. Fully rested, Boston could be where he reaffirms his dominance.

The Challengers: Korir, Chebet, Mateiko & More

Standing in Lemma’s path is one of the deepest men’s fields in Boston’s 129-year history. Chief among the challengers is John Korir, who exploded onto the global stage with a 2:02:44 victory in Chicago last fall, making him the sixth-fastest marathoner in history. The younger brother of 2012 Boston champion Wesley Korir, John has finished fourth and ninth in his two prior Boston starts. This year, he looks to pair his family legacy with personal greatness.

Then there’s Evans Chebet, the two-time Boston champion (2022, 2023) who finished third last year behind Lemma. Though questions surrounded his health after a late withdrawal from the 2023 New York City Marathon, he returned strong to finish second in New York that fall. Chebet doesn’t race often, but when he does, he competes to win.

New to Boston is Daniel Mateiko, 26, a rising Kenyan star tabbed by Eliud Kipchoge himself as the next big thing. A 26:50 10,000m man with a 2:04:24 marathon PB and a fearless racing style, Mateiko went stride-for-stride with Kelvin Kiptum on world record pace in Chicago before dropping out. If the early pace lags and he’s in the mix late, he could be dangerous.

Also lurking is Tebello Ramakongoana, a 2:06 man from Lesotho, whose seventh-place finish at the Paris Olympics proved his mettle on hilly, tactical courses. With a 14:01 5K split mid-race in Paris and a recent runner-up finish in Xiamen, Ramakongoana enters Boston as a dark horse ready to break through.

Among American men, CJ Albertson leads the charge. Known for his gutsy, unconventional racing, Albertson has consistently been the top U.S. finisher in majors and recently clocked a personal best of 2:08:17 in Chicago. Expect fireworks if he decides to go off-script again. The word at the Boston presser was about Connor Mantz and Clayton Young, training partners, who ran well at the Paris Olympics and the NYC Marathons. Conner had a cautionary tale regarding Boston in 2023, where he ran the last couple miles at six minute pace, he has learned from that hard lesson!

Obiri Eyes Historic Three-Peat

In the women’s field, Hellen Obiri is chasing history. The two-time defending champion, Obiri, is looking to become the first woman to win three straight Boston titles since the World Marathon Majors era began. A two-time Olympic medalist on the track, Obiri has transitioned seamlessly to the roads. She’s started six marathons and finished on the podium in five, with three wins—two of them in Boston. Her 2:21:38 PB came on this course last year, and despite being only the 11th seed by time, she’s the clear favorite.

Contenders on Her Heels

Obiri’s fiercest challenger may be Amane Beriso, the 2023 Boston runner-up and reigning World Champion. Beriso, who boasts a 2:14:58 PB—the third-fastest time ever—has evolved dramatically from her 12th-place Boston debut in 2016.

Other names to watch include Ethiopia’s Worknesh Degefa, the 2019 Boston champion, and Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 New York winner who was second to Obiri here last year. With marathon debutants and seasoned veterans lining up, the women’s race could swing in multiple directions.

A Race of Character, Not Just Time

What separates Boston from its major marathon peers is not just history or heartbreak hill—it’s the fact that time, while respected, takes a backseat to guts, guile, and grit. It’s a race of attrition and audacity, of bold moves and sudden collapses.

And so, on Marathon Monday, as 30,000 runners toe the line and millions around the world watch, we prepare once more for a race that cannot be predicted, only experienced.