Men's and women's marathon times are dropping fast, even on Boston's difficult course

Boston Globe

22-04-2025

'When I crossed then saw the time, I still can't believe it,' said Lokedi, who dethroned two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri by 19 seconds.
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This blistered pastime has become dizzyingly faster over the past couple of years with the high-stepping Kenyans leading the way, as usual.
Kelvin Kiptum demolished countryman Eliud Kipchoge's world mark by 34 seconds with an eye-popping 2:00:35 in Chicago in October 2023. Then Ruth Chepngetich chopped more than six minutes off colleague Peres Jepchirchir's global standard with a 2:09:56 in Chicago last fall.
Given the country's ongoing doping problems skeptics shook their heads, but the lab tests indicated that both runners were clean on the day.
High-tech shoes, which are like running barefoot on springs, obviously make a significant difference. So do modern training methods, which include using baking soda (yes, found in Grandma's cabinet a century ago) to offset lactic acid. And the Windy City's flattop is a proven place for runners to drag race.
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Whatever the reason, 26-mile times are coming down in chunks now. What's notable is that it happened in both the men's and women's races here on a course that by its undulating and twisting nature is not clock-friendly.
Boston's layout hasn't changed appreciably since the 19th century, which makes it a unique — and bedeviling — challenge.
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'Boston is tough,' said Lokedi. 'It's easy when you start and then you hit the hills. If your legs are tired you can't really do much then. It really helps knowing where certain hills are, where you can make the move.'
The key is to still have bounce in your step when you come off Heartbreak Hill and onto the Brookline flats, where the race becomes a track meet. That's where course knowledge comes in.
Not that first-timers don't win here. Obiri did it on her first try two years ago. But knowing about the steep downhill coming out of Wellesley, the first Newton hill (it's actually the Route 128 overpass), the Firehouse Turn, and what Korir calls 'Breaking Hill' keeps a contender from making a rash decision that leads to a DNF.
Course knowledge was valuable for Korir, who finished ninth in 2023 and fourth last April. 'The last two years helped me to know where to make a move,' he said.
The input from older brother Wesley, who prevailed here in 2012 and helped craft Monday's winning game plan, was priceless. The decision was for Korir to lope away from the pack at 20 miles, midway through the hills.
He made a decisive move in Chicago after 15 miles and went on to post the second-fastest time (2:02:44) in race history. 'So I had to try that tactic here and it worked,' said Korir, who quickly found himself with an 18-second lead.
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Had one or more of his rivals dared to go with him, Korir would have welcomed the company. 'If I have someone and we can push together the last 6 miles we could have gone for the course record,' he said. 'But because I was alone I had to try my best and see how fast I can run.'
Lokedi had all the company she needed in Obiri, who busted her and two-time champ Edna Kiplagat in Kenmore Square last year. She'd figured that the real racing would start with 10 kilometers left on the way toward Heartbreak. She didn't reckon on having it begin in Wellesley.
'Halfway I saw we ran 68 [minutes] and I was like, 'Oh, Jesus,' ' said Lokedi, who had Obiri, world titlist Amane Beriso, and two others alongside. 'We just kept going. I'm like, I hope I still get it in the end.'
Like Obiri, who earned Olympic silvers in the 5,000 meters in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, Lokedi is a formidable track runner who won the NCAA 10,000 when she ran for Kansas.
So she was comfortable with a drag race down Beacon Street. 'We're running fast, I know that for sure,' she said.
Unlike a track meet you can't see the finish line until you make the left turn off Hereford Street. 'Fight, fight, fight, fight — that's what it was in my head the whole time,' Lokedi said. 'Just don't give up. Keep fighting.'
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It wasn't surprising that Lokedi won here. She owned New York three years ago and just missed an Olympic medal in Paris. What was surprising to her and everyone else was her time, which would have won all but one men's race here until the mid-'60s.
The world mark wasn't in danger, but you can't set a world mark here anyway because of the elevation differential. But you get the same winner's paycheck here ($150,000) that you do in Chicago and New York and the rest of the majors, plus $50,000 more for a course record.
Lokedi's 2:17:22 did set one record. It's the fastest marathon time on a course with a Breaking Hill.
John Powers can be reached at