John Korir and Sharon Lokedi won the men's and women's divisions of the 2026 Boston Marathon, marking their second consecutive victories. Marcel Hug secured his ninth win in the men's wheelchair division, while Edie Perkins won gold in the women's handcyclist category for the first time.
Key points
John Korir won the men's division of the 2026 Boston Marathon.
Sharon Lokedi won the women's division of the 2026 Boston Marathon.
Marcel Hug won the men's wheelchair division for the ninth time.
Edie Perkins won gold in the women's handcyclist division for the first time.
Both Korir and Lokedi achieved back-to-back victories.
The Boston Marathon has crowned its newest champions. Or, in this year's case, mostly repeat champions.
Legacies began to take shape this year with the men's and women's runners both going back-to-back for their second straight Boston Marathon win. This is also without mentioning the men's wheelchair division and Marcel Hug's ninth Boston Marathon win in 12 years.
Women's handcyclist Edie Perkins was the only one of these six winners to take home gold for the first time.
Here's everything to know about how these runners reached this moment of glory.
John Korir is one of the top runners in the sport, clinching his second Boston Marathon win in a row. Korir also won the Chicago Marathon in 2024. With his course record-breaking finish in 2026, John Korir set the fifth-fastest running marathon time in history at 2:01:52.
This makes him the second Korir brother to win the Boston Marathon, following his brother Wesley's win in 2012.
The Korir brothers grew up in Kitale, a city in Western Kenya with a population of around 160,000. Wesley Korir founded the Kenyan Kids Foundation, a charity that looks to combat generational poverty in Kenya.
Q&A
Who are the winners of the 2026 Boston Marathon?
The winners of the 2026 Boston Marathon are John Korir in the men's division and Sharon Lokedi in the women's division.
How many times has Marcel Hug won the Boston Marathon?
Marcel Hug has won the Boston Marathon nine times in the last 12 years.
Who won the women's handcyclist division in the 2026 Boston Marathon?
Edie Perkins won the women's handcyclist division in the 2026 Boston Marathon, achieving her first gold medal.
Did any winners repeat their victories in the 2026 Boston Marathon?
Yes, both John Korir and Sharon Lokedi repeated their victories, winning their second consecutive Boston Marathon.
Related Articles
Sports·Injury Update
UConn's Ball (wrist) to miss all of next season
UConn guard Solo Ball will miss the entire 2026-27 season for wrist surgery.
ESPN News··1 min read
Soccer·Recap
West Ham draw at Palace to relegate Wolves and move two points clear of Spurs
West Ham's draw at Crystal Palace relegates Wolves from the Premier League!
Sky Sports··1 min read
Soccer·Transfer
Papers: Newcastle set Gordon price tag amid transfer interest
Newcastle United values Anthony Gordon at ÂŁ75m for potential Bayern Munich transfer.
Sky Sports··1 min read
MLB·Recap
Dodgers Adjust Lineup Following Loss to Rockies Sunday
Dodgers make lineup changes following back-to-back losses to Rockies.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Soccer·Feature
Ălvaro LĂłpez: âThis Title Belongs to Everyone at Valdebebasâ
Ălvaro LĂłpez: This UEFA Youth League Title Belongs to Everyone at Valdebebas
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
NBA·Preview
Tuesday's NBA matchups: 76ers-Celtics, Trail Blazers-Spurs and Rockets-Lakers are set for Game 2s
NBA Game 2s: 76ers face Celtics, Spurs take on Blazers, Lakers vs Rockets.
The lead was tight throughout most of the women's race, but Lokedi pulled ahead at the end, cementing a 44-second margin in her marathon win. Lokedi has dominated marathons for years, winning her very first, the New York City Marathon, in 2022.
While at Kansas, Lokedi competed in cross country and track and field. She was the Big 12 Women's Runner of the Year in 2016 and 2017. She still holds five school records at Kansas, including the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Lokedi grew up in Burnt Forest, Kenya, a small town in the western part of the country.
Men's wheelchair winner: Marcel Hug (Switzerland)
Hug has been dubbed "The Silver Bullet." If there was ever any question as to why, just look at the 6:38 margin of victory in Hug's ninth Boston Marathon win.
Alongside these marathon wins, Hug also has 16 Paralympic medals dating back to 2004. Among these are seven gold medals earned across Rio, Tokyo and Paris. He has also won 13 World Championship gold medals from 2006-2025.
Hug began wheelchair racing at 10 years old after being born with spina bifida, a condition that does not allow his spine to properly develop.
Women's wheelchair winner: Eden Rainbow-Cooper (UK)
The 24-year-old Eden Rainbow-Cooper has been wheelchair racing for over 10 years and won her first Boston Marathon in 2024. The first English woman to win gold, she secured her second title in 2026.
She also competed in the Paralympic Games in Paris, finishing seventh in the 1500m. In 2022, Rainbow-Cooper tied the half-marathon course record at London's Big Half race.
Rainbow-Cooper was born with sacral agenesis, a condition that causes abnormal development in the lower spine.
Men's handcycles winner: Zachary Stinson (USA)
This win marks Stinson's fourth at the Boston Marathon. His first came back in 2021, with Stinson winning two-thirds of the Boston Marathon events this decade.
"I stepped down with my left leg and I was like a pogo stick in the air," Stinson told Alex Thill of Local21 News.
He later began handcycling at the hospital to recover, later becoming one of the world's best and competing across the globe.
Women's handcycles winner: Edie Perkins (USA)
Edie Perkins first competed in the Boston Marathon in 2005, finishing 25th out of the women's runners. She also ran a sub-three-hour marathon in New York City.
In 2017, however, Perkins was struck by a driver while riding her bike, rendering her paralyzed from the chest down. Within eight months, she completed a half-marathon on a handcycle, she told Pam Moore of SELF Magazine.
Now having competed in several Boston Marathons as a handcyclist, Perkins claims her first victory at 55 years old.
Perkins previously served as Executive Director for the Kelly Brush Foundation, which seeks to empower people with spinal cord injuries to lead active lives.
