Latest news with #Korir
Fox Sports
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Korir brothers hope a Kenyan school they fund will produce a Boston Marathon champion, like them
Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — John Korir arrived in Hopkinton hoping to join his brother as a Boston Marathon champion. He left Boylston Street with plans to train a future winner. Korir said he will donate the prize money from his Boston victory to the Transcend Talent Academy, which provides an education for aspiring runners who can't afford one. He has worked with the school in Kenya along with his brother, Wesley, who used the proceeds from his 2012 Boston win to build a hospital in their home region. 'It was in our dream to come here and win, and make history of two brothers winning Boston,' Korir said Tuesday, a day after overcoming an early fall to become, with Wesley, the first members of the same family to win the world's oldest and most prestigious annual marathon. 'One day, one time we'll have a child from Transend Academy win Boston,' John Korir said. 'That's now our next dream: to mentor, to bring up a champion who will come one day, come and win Boston.' The reigning Chicago Marathon champion, who had top 10 finishes in both of his previous Boston attempts, Korir broke away from the pack heading into Heartbreak Hill on Monday and ran alone for much of the last 6 miles to win in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 45 seconds — the second-fastest winning time in course history. Fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi also took advantage of near-perfect marathon weather to win in 2:17:22 — more than 2 1/2 minutes faster than the previous course record. Korir said he, too, might have challenged for the course record if he'd had another runner to push him. 'But because I was alone, had to try my best and see how fast I could run,' he said. Korir ran more than 26.19 miles with a scraped up knee and hand after getting tripped in the crowded start on East Main Street in Hopkinton, sending him sprawling headfirst down the double yellow line in the middle of the road. His race bib was messed up even worse. Korir quickly popped back up and saw his bib was torn off his shirt in three of its four corners; he detached the last one, folded the bib and tucked it into his shorts as he rejoined the still bunched-up leaders at the rear. The absence of a bib — the professionals' have their names, not numbers like most of the 30,000 runners in the field — was mostly a curiosity for onlookers. But it posed a potential problem for race organizers: On the back is a timing device that registers when the runner crosses a checkpoint. The system provide runners with their split times and also proves that someone ran the entire race — something Boston officials didn't have in 1980, when Rosie Ruiz was initially declared the winner before they found she took a shortcut to the finish line. Ruiz, an unknown before she broke the tape, didn't show up on any pictures or video along the course. Korir — who was running among the leaders, right behind the lead vehicle with the TV camera — was literally front and center. 'It was kind of a nonissue because he was in the main (pack). I mean, the camera was focused on him,' Boston Athletic Association President Jack Fleming said, holding up Korir's mangled bib. 'This is an identification and a timing and scoring device. So he was clearly identified; we knew who he was. We didn't actually need this to identify him as John Korir. And it just so happened that the timing tag was intact.' Fleming said organizers noticed Korir's missing bib early on and went looking for video to find out what had happened. But they also saw that he was showing up at each checkpoint, as normal. No one knew how until he pulled the bib out of his shorts as he ran down Boylston Street to the finish. 'For him to have the presence of mind, with all of that adrenaline, to grab the bib and to hold on to it, tuck it away, ... it's amazing,' Fleming said. The timing devices have come a long way: Early models were plastic chips tied into the runners' shoelaces, but now they are a thin metallic sticker on the back of the bib, surrounded by a sponge-like protective guard. The bib itself is a papery plastic similar to the material used to wrap building frames during construction. It is strong enough to withstand 26.2 miles of pounding in all kinds of weather, but it is not indestructible. 'It's the first thing that's stated on the back of the bid: Do not fold or bend this bib number,' Fleming said, reading the warning printed on every bib. 'But it worked.' ___ AP sports: in this topic
San Francisco Chronicle
22-04-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Korir brothers hope a Kenyan school they fund will produce a Boston Marathon champion, like them
BOSTON (AP) — John Korir arrived in Hopkinton hoping to join his brother as a Boston Marathon champion. He left Boylston Street with plans to train a future winner. Korir said he will donate the prize money from his Boston victory to the Transcend Talent Academy, which provides an education for aspiring runners who can't afford one. He has worked with the school in Kenya along with his brother, Wesley, who used the proceeds from his 2012 Boston win to build a hospital in their home region. 'It was in our dream to come here and win, and make history of two brothers winning Boston,' Korir said Tuesday, a day after overcoming an early fall to become, with Wesley, the first members of the same family to win the world's oldest and most prestigious annual marathon. 'One day, one time we'll have a child from Transend Academy win Boston,' John Korir said. 'That's now our next dream: to mentor, to bring up a champion who will come one day, come and win Boston.' The reigning Chicago Marathon champion, who had top 10 finishes in both of his previous Boston attempts, Korir broke away from the pack heading into Heartbreak Hill on Monday and ran alone for much of the last 6 miles to win in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 45 seconds — the second-fastest winning time in course history. Fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi also took advantage of near-perfect marathon weather to win in 2:17:22 — more than 2 1/2 minutes faster than the previous course record. Korir said he, too, might have challenged for the course record if he'd had another runner to push him. 'But because I was alone, had to try my best and see how fast I could run,' he said. Korir ran more than 26.19 miles with a scraped up knee and hand after getting tripped in the crowded start on East Main Street in Hopkinton, sending him sprawling headfirst down the double yellow line in the middle of the road. His race bib was messed up even worse. Korir quickly popped back up and saw his bib was torn off his shirt in three of its four corners; he detached the last one, folded the bib and tucked it into his shorts as he rejoined the still bunched-up leaders at the rear. The absence of a bib — the professionals' have their names, not numbers like most of the 30,000 runners in the field — was mostly a curiosity for onlookers. But it posed a potential problem for race organizers: On the back is a timing device that registers when the runner crosses a checkpoint. The system provide runners with their split times and also proves that someone ran the entire race — something Boston officials didn't have in 1980, when Rosie Ruiz was initially declared the winner before they found she took a shortcut to the finish line. Ruiz, an unknown before she broke the tape, didn't show up on any pictures or video along the course. Korir — who was running among the leaders, right behind the lead vehicle with the TV camera — was literally front and center. 'It was kind of a nonissue because he was in the main (pack). I mean, the camera was focused on him,' Boston Athletic Association President Jack Fleming said, holding up Korir's mangled bib. 'This is an identification and a timing and scoring device. So he was clearly identified; we knew who he was. We didn't actually need this to identify him as John Korir. And it just so happened that the timing tag was intact.' Fleming said organizers noticed Korir's missing bib early on and went looking for video to find out what had happened. But they also saw that he was showing up at each checkpoint, as normal. No one knew how until he pulled the bib out of his shorts as he ran down Boylston Street to the finish. 'For him to have the presence of mind, with all of that adrenaline, to grab the bib and to hold on to it, tuck it away, ... it's amazing,' Fleming said. The timing devices have come a long way: Early models were plastic chips tied into the runners' shoelaces, but now they are a thin metallic sticker on the back of the bib, surrounded by a sponge-like protective guard. The bib itself is a papery plastic similar to the material used to wrap building frames during construction. It is strong enough to withstand 26.2 miles of pounding in all kinds of weather, but it is not indestructible.
The Independent
22-04-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Korir brothers hope a Kenyan school they fund will produce a Boston Marathon champion, like them
John Korir arrived in Hopkinton hoping to join his brother as a Boston Marathon champion. He left Boylston Street with plans to train a future winner. Korir said he will donate the prize money from his Boston victory to the Transcend Talent Academy, which provides an education for aspiring runners who can't afford one. He has worked with the school in Kenya along with his brother, Wesley, who used the proceeds from his 2012 Boston win to build a hospital in their home region. 'It was in our dream to come here and win, and make history of two brothers winning Boston,' Korir said Tuesday, a day after overcoming an early fall to become, with Wesley, the first members of the same family to win the world's oldest and most prestigious annual marathon. 'One day, one time we'll have a child from Transend Academy win Boston,' John Korir said. 'That's now our next dream: to mentor, to bring up a champion who will come one day, come and win Boston.' The reigning Chicago Marathon champion, who had top 10 finishes in both of his previous Boston attempts, Korir broke away from the pack heading into Heartbreak Hill on Monday and ran alone for much of the last 6 miles to win in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 45 seconds — the second-fastest winning time in course history. Fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi also took advantage of near-perfect marathon weather to win in 2:17:22 — more than 2 1/2 minutes faster than the previous course record. Korir said he, too, might have challenged for the course record if he'd had another runner to push him. 'But because I was alone, had to try my best and see how fast I could run,' he said. Korir ran more than 26.19 miles with a scraped up knee and hand after getting tripped in the crowded start on East Main Street in Hopkinton, sending him sprawling headfirst down the double yellow line in the middle of the road. His race bib was messed up even worse. Korir quickly popped back up and saw his bib was torn off his shirt in three of its four corners; he detached the last one, folded the bib and tucked it into his shorts as he rejoined the still bunched-up leaders at the rear. The absence of a bib — the professionals' have their names, not numbers like most of the 30,000 runners in the field — was mostly a curiosity for onlookers. But it posed a potential problem for race organizers: On the back is a timing device that registers when the runner crosses a checkpoint. The system provide runners with their split times and also proves that someone ran the entire race — something Boston officials didn't have in 1980, when Rosie Ruiz was initially declared the winner before they found she took a shortcut to the finish line. Ruiz, an unknown before she broke the tape, didn't show up on any pictures or video along the course. Korir — who was running among the leaders, right behind the lead vehicle with the TV camera — was literally front and center. 'It was kind of a nonissue because he was in the main (pack). I mean, the camera was focused on him,' Boston Athletic Association President Jack Fleming said, holding up Korir's mangled bib. 'This is an identification and a timing and scoring device. So he was clearly identified; we knew who he was. We didn't actually need this to identify him as John Korir. And it just so happened that the timing tag was intact.' Fleming said organizers noticed Korir's missing bib early on and went looking for video to find out what had happened. But they also saw that he was showing up at each checkpoint, as normal. No one knew how until he pulled the bib out of his shorts as he ran down Boylston Street to the finish. 'For him to have the presence of mind, with all of that adrenaline, to grab the bib and to hold on to it, tuck it away, ... it's amazing,' Fleming said. The timing devices have come a long way: Early models were plastic chips tied into the runners' shoelaces, but now they are a thin metallic sticker on the back of the bib, surrounded by a sponge-like protective guard. The bib itself is a papery plastic similar to the material used to wrap building frames during construction. It is strong enough to withstand 26.2 miles of pounding in all kinds of weather, but it is not indestructible. 'It's the first thing that's stated on the back of the bid: Do not fold or bend this bib number,' Fleming said, reading the warning printed on every bib. 'But it worked.' ___
Associated Press
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Korir brothers hope a Kenyan school they fund will produce a Boston Marathon champion, like them
BOSTON (AP) — John Korir arrived in Hopkinton hoping to join his brother as a Boston Marathon champion. He left Boylston Street with plans to train a future winner. Korir said he will donate the prize money from his Boston victory to the Transcend Talent Academy, which provides an education for aspiring runners who can't afford one. He has worked with the school in Kenya along with his brother, Wesley, who used the proceeds from his 2012 Boston win to build a hospital in their home region. 'It was in our dream to come here and win, and make history of two brothers winning Boston,' Korir said Tuesday, a day after overcoming an early fall to become, with Wesley, the first members of the same family to win the world's oldest and most prestigious annual marathon. 'One day, one time we'll have a child from Transend Academy win Boston,' John Korir said. 'That's now our next dream: to mentor, to bring up a champion who will come one day, come and win Boston.' The reigning Chicago Marathon champion, who had top 10 finishes in both of his previous Boston attempts, Korir broke away from the pack heading into Heartbreak Hill on Monday and ran alone for much of the last 6 miles to win in 2 hours, 4 minutes, 45 seconds — the second-fastest winning time in course history. Fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi also took advantage of near-perfect marathon weather to win in 2:17:22 — more than 2 1/2 minutes faster than the previous course record. Korir said he, too, might have challenged for the course record if he'd had another runner to push him. 'But because I was alone, had to try my best and see how fast I could run,' he said. Korir ran more than 26.19 miles with a scraped up knee and hand after getting tripped in the crowded start on East Main Street in Hopkinton, sending him sprawling headfirst down the double yellow line in the middle of the road. His race bib was messed up even worse. Korir quickly popped back up and saw his bib was torn off his shirt in three of its four corners; he detached the last one, folded the bib and tucked it into his shorts as he rejoined the still bunched-up leaders at the rear. The absence of a bib — the professionals' have their names, not numbers like most of the 30,000 runners in the field — was mostly a curiosity for onlookers. But it posed a potential problem for race organizers: On the back is a timing device that registers when the runner crosses a checkpoint. The system provide runners with their split times and also proves that someone ran the entire race — something Boston officials didn't have in 1980, when Rosie Ruiz was initially declared the winner before they found she took a shortcut to the finish line. Ruiz, an unknown before she broke the tape, didn't show up on any pictures or video along the course. Korir — who was running among the leaders, right behind the lead vehicle with the TV camera — was literally front and center. 'It was kind of a nonissue because he was in the main (pack). I mean, the camera was focused on him,' Boston Athletic Association President Jack Fleming said, holding up Korir's mangled bib. 'This is an identification and a timing and scoring device. So he was clearly identified; we knew who he was. We didn't actually need this to identify him as John Korir. And it just so happened that the timing tag was intact.' Fleming said organizers noticed Korir's missing bib early on and went looking for video to find out what had happened. But they also saw that he was showing up at each checkpoint, as normal. No one knew how until he pulled the bib out of his shorts as he ran down Boylston Street to the finish. 'For him to have the presence of mind, with all of that adrenaline, to grab the bib and to hold on to it, tuck it away, ... it's amazing,' Fleming said. The timing devices have come a long way: Early models were plastic chips tied into the runners' shoelaces, but now they are a thin metallic sticker on the back of the bib, surrounded by a sponge-like protective guard. The bib itself is a papery plastic similar to the material used to wrap building frames during construction. It is strong enough to withstand 26.2 miles of pounding in all kinds of weather, but it is not indestructible. 'It's the first thing that's stated on the back of the bid: Do not fold or bend this bib number,' Fleming said, reading the warning printed on every bib. 'But it worked.' ___ AP sports:
Boston Globe
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Men's and women's marathon times are dropping fast, even on Boston's difficult course
'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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Related : '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. Advertisement 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.' Advertisement 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
