Kenyan marathoner Sharon Lokedi successfully defended the title she won in 2025 at the 2026 Boston Marathon. At the 2026 Boston Marathon, held on Monday, April 20, Lokedi won the women’s race in 2:18:51.
Compatriot John Korir also defended his title in the the 2026 Boston Marathon, setting a new men’s course record of 2:01:52, breaking the previous record set at 2:03:02 from 2011.
“Congrats to Boston Marathon winners John Korir and Sharon Lokedi!! What an incredible race plus a new course record (2:01:52)!” read a congratulatory message from the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.
Despite Sharon Lokedi defending her title in this year’s marathon, she did not break her own set record in 2025, where she finished the race with a record of 2:17:22.
Sharon Lokedi Prize Money
The total prize pool for the 2026 Boston Marathon, including prizes for the course record and bonuses, exceeds KSh 154.92 million.
Lokedi, having won the elite women’s open division, won KSh 19.36 million.
Having not set a new record, the marathon runner was not entitled to a bonus of KSh 6.455 million, unlike in the previous year, when she won the 1st-place prize and the record-breaking bonus.
Unlike Lokedi, John Koriri won KSh 25.82 million, with KSh 19.36 million as the prize for winning first place in the open division and KSh 6.455 million as a bonus for breaking a previous record.
However, the total actual take-home prize is lower after the deduction of taxes, agent fees, and any other deductions from the prizes of elite athletes, according to reports by Essentially Sports.
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2026 Boston Marathon Prizes for Top 5 Open Division Winners
- 1st – KSh 19.36M
- 2nd – KSh 9.68M
- 3rd – KSh 5.16M
- 4th -KSh 3.23M
- 5th -KSh 2.32M
In addition to an open division race, the Boston Marathon also has a category for the wheelchair Division, T53/54/34. The winner in this category is granted a prize of KSh 6.46M, while the second runner-up gets KSh 3.87 million, and the third gets KSh 1.94 million.
The 10th winner of the T53/54/34 gets a prize of KSh 194,000, while those in the open division get KSh 710,000.
A KSh 6.455 million remains constant for record breakers across all the divisions during the race.
Women in the Top 10 in the Boston Marathon 2026
Kenyans finished in the top four in the women’s race, with Sharon Lokedi in the lead.
Additionally, four American women finished in the top 10 during the marathon.
Among the Kenyan women who finished in the top 4 were Loice, who finished second at 2:19:35; Mary Ngugi-Cooper, who finished 3rd at 2:20:07; and Mercy Chelangat, who finished 4th at 2:20:30.
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Jess McClain became the top American, breaking the previous American course record by finishing her race at 2:20:49.
Other Americans in the top 10 included Annie Frisbie, Emily Sisson, and Carrie Ellwood.
Workenesh Edesa, an Ethiopian, finished in 2:21:52, placing 7th in the marathon, while Irine Cheptai, a Kenyan, finished in 2:20:54, placing the.
Eden Rainbow-Cooper won her second Boston wheelchair title in the Women’s Wheelchair Division by finishing first in 1:30:51. Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland became the second in the race.
On the other hand, apart from John Korir, Benson Kipruto was in the third position, completing the race in 2:02:50, while Alex Masai finished in the 9th position at 2:05:32.
In the Men’s Wheelchair Division, Marcel Hug from Switzerland was the first, making his total titles in Boston, 9, followed by Daniel Romanchuk of the USA in the second place.
