FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Olympians, Paralympians, Global Marathon Winners To Compete
at 125th Boston Marathon
October's 125th Boston Marathon Features World Class Fields As Part
Of The Professional Men, Women, Wheelchair, And Para Athletics Divisions
BOSTON-The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced more than 140
athletes will compete at the 125th Boston Marathon as part of the John
Hancock Professional Athlete Team. Olympians, Paralympians, global marathon
winners, and 13 previously announced Boston champions will race from
Hopkinton to Boston on October 11 in the first fall edition of the Boston
Marathon.
"In October, many of the world's best athletes will look to etch their
names in the history books by winning the 125th Boston Marathon," said Tom
Grilk, B.A.A. President and Chief Executive Officer. "We very much look
forward to October's competition, bringing together winners from more than
one hundred global marathons. The B.A.A. is eager to continue the tradition
of athletic excellence as we return to the roads leading to Boston."
"John Hancock is proud to support this year's professional field for the
monumental, 125th running of the Boston Marathon," said Kate Ardini, Chief
Marketing Officer at John Hancock. "In our 36th year as principal sponsor,
John Hancock is committed to supporting the world's top athletes as they
aim for greatness in Boston. We look forward to cheering on every athlete
as they make their way to the finish."
WOMEN'S OPEN & WHEELCHAIR DIVISION
Nine women who have clocked lifetime bests of under 2:22 will line up in
Hopkinton, including Ethiopia's Yebrgual Melese, whose 2:19:36 personal
best ranks fastest in the field. She'll be joined by compatriot and
two-time Boston podium finisher Mare Dibaba, the 2015 World Athletics
Championships gold medalist and 2016 Olympic Marathon bronze medalist.
Ethiopian 2:20:24 marathoner Workenesh Edesa, winner of past Xiamen,
Lanzhou, and Marrakech Marathons, will make her Boston debut.
Five of the top seven finishers from the 2019 Boston Marathon return,
aiming to break the tape on Boylston Street: Edna Kiplagat (Kenya), Jordan
Hasay (USA), Des Linden (USA), Caroline Rotich (Kenya), and Mary Ngugi
(Kenya). Hasay is the second fastest American marathoner in history and
twice a third-place finisher in Boston, while Ngugi is a past winner of the
B.A.A. 10K and B.A.A. Half Marathon. Kiplagat, Linden, and Rotich were
previously announced among a contingent of 13 Boston winners set to compete
in October.
Joining Hasay and Linden among the American contingent are two-time
Olympian and Providence resident Molly Huddle; Twin Cities Marathon
champion Nell Rojas; and former Syracuse University All-American Paige
Stoner. Huddle is the U.S. record holder for the 10 mile distance and owns
the B.A.A. 5K course record.
Team USA wheelchair Paralympians Susannah Scaroni and Jenna Fesemyer will
also compete, joining a strong professional wheelchair field that includes
course record holder Manuela Schär and five-time champion Tatyana McFadden.
Among international contenders are Shelly Woods (Great Britain), Margriet
van den Broek (Netherlands), and Vanessa de Souza (Brazil).
MEN'S OPEN & WHEELCHAIR DIVISION
A mix of experienced veterans and marathon debutants will bring excitement
to the men's race. A trio of Kenyans with prior top-five finishes in Boston
look to contend for the win, as Wilson Chebet, Felix Kandie, and Paul
Lonyangata will use knowledge of the undulating course to their advantage.
They'll be up against a trifecta of sub-2:06 Ethiopians in Lemi Berhanu,
the 2015 Boston champion, and Dejene Debela and Asefa Mengstu, who finished
second and third at the 2019 Chicago Marathon. Both Debela and Mengstu will
be running their first Boston.
After much success over the half marathon and in cross country, Kenya's
Leonard Barsoton and Ethiopia's Jemal Yimer will both make their long
awaited marathon debuts in Boston. Barsoton earned a silver medal at the
World Cross Country Championships in 2017, while Yimer owns the Ethiopian
national record of 58:33 in the half marathon.
Eight of the top 12 finishers from the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon will
also compete in Boston, led by 2021 Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, fresh off a
41st place finish in the Olympic Marathon last week, and Scott Fauble,
seventh place and top American finisher at the 2019 Boston Marathon. B.A.A.
High Performance Team members Matt McDonald, Jonas Hampton, and Paul Hogan
will sport the adidas unicorn uniform from Hopkinton to Boston as well.
Aaron Pike, who will compete for Team USA at the Paralympic Marathon, joins
a robust professional wheelchair field that includes four champions –
Daniel Romanchuk, Marcel Hug, Ernst van Dyk, and Josh Cassidy – with a
combined 16 Boston Marathon titles. Eight-time Paralympic medalist David
Weir of Great Britain is also entered. Challengers from Japan include
Hiroki Nishida, Kota Hokinoue, and Tomoki Suzuki, the latter of whom is the
reigning Tokyo Marathon champion.
PARA ATHLETICS DIVISIONS TOP CONTENDERS
As part of the inaugural Para Athletics Divisions at the Boston Marathon,
many athletes will compete for prize money and awards within the vision
impaired and lower-limb impaired divisions. Among those competing are 2016
Paralympians Chaz Davis (T12), Liz Willis (T64), and marathon silver
medalist and current world record holder Misato Michishita (T12) of Japan.
Davis, a Massachusetts native, holds the T12 American record of 2:31:48 for
the marathon, while Willis is a converted sprinter-turned-distance runner
for Team USA. Also competing is Marko Cheseto Lemtukei, the world best
holder for the T62 marathon having run 2:37:23 in 2019. The Boston Marathon
is the first major marathon to offer prize money and awards for athletes
with vision, lower-limb, and upper-limb impairments.
The complete John Hancock Professional Athlete Team field list can be found
below. For media planning to cover the 125th Boson Marathon both in-person
and from afar, athlete bios, race information, updated media materials, and
credential application information will be available in the coming weeks.
WOMEN'S OPEN DIVISION - NAME, PERSONAL BEST, COUNTRY
Yebrgual Melese, 2:19:36 (Dubai, 2018), Ethiopia
Edna Kiplagat^, 2:19:50 (London, 2012), Kenya
Mare Dibaba, 2:19:52 (Dubai, 2012), Ethiopia
Workenesh Edesa, 2:20:24 (Valencia, 2019), Ethiopia
Sutume Kebede, 2:20:30 (Tokyo, 2020), Ethiopia
Jordan Hasay, 2:20:57 (Chicago, 2017), USA
Besu Sado, 2:21:03 (Amsterdam, 2019), Ethiopia
Helah Kiprop, 2:21:27 (Tokyo, 2016), Kenya
Bedatu Hirpa, 2:21:32 (Frankfurt, 2018), Ethiopia
Atsede Baysa, 2:22:03 (Chicago, 2012), Ethiopia
Diana Chemtai Kipyogei, 2:22:06 (Istanbul, 2020), Kenya
Desiree Linden, 2:22:38 (Boston, 2011), USA
Biruktayit Eshetu, 2:22:40 (Toronto, 2019), Ethiopia
Tigist Abayechew, 2:22:45 (Dubai, 2020), Ethiopia
Purity Changwony, 2:22:46 (Ampugnano, 2021), Kenya
Caroline Rotich, 2:23:22 (Chicago, 2012), Kenya
Molly Huddle, 2:26:33 (London, 2019), USA
Mary Ngugi, 2:27:36 (New York City, 2019), Kenya
Nell Rojas, 2:28:09 (Duluth, 2019), USA
Paige Stoner, 2:28:43 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Shiho Kaneshige, 2:28:51 (Osaka, 2020), Japan
Dakotah Lindwurm, 2:29:04 (Duluth, 2021), USA
Netsanet Gudeta, 2:29:15 (Paris, 2017), Ethiopia
Kellys Arias, 2:29:36 (Hamburg, 2016) NR, Colombia
Julia Griffey, 2:29:58 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Tish Jones, 2:31:00 (London, 2019), Great Britain
Bethany Sachtleben, 2:31:20 (Lima, 2019), USA
Dot McMahan^, 2:31:48 (Duluth, 2011), USA
Sydney Devore, 2:32:39 (Pittsburgh, 2018), USA
Hilary Dionne, 2:33:03 (Sacramento, 2018), USA
Brittany Charboneau, 2:33:14 (Atlanta, 2020), USA
Dawn Grunnagle^, 2:33:14 (Berlin, 2019) , USA
Susanna Sullivan, 2:33:27 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Heather Lieberg^, 2:34:07 (St. Paul, 2019), USA
Caitlin Phillips, 2:34:43 (Berlin, 2019), USA
Laurie Knowles^, 2:36:01 (Chicago, 2016), USA
Courtney Olson, 2:36:21 (Sacramento, 2018), USA
Brittany Moran, 2:36:22 (Sacramento, 2019), Canada
Marie-Ange Brumelot, 2:36:23 (Chicago, 2019), France
Emma Spencer, 2:37:05 (Berlin, 2018), USA
Rachel Hyland, 2:37:22 (Sacramento, 2018), USA
Andrea Pomaranski, 2:37:39 (Duluth, 2021), USA
AnnMarie Kirkpatrick, 2:37:49 (Sacramento, 2018), USA
Gina Rouse^, 2:38:41 (Atlanta, 2020), USA
Nina Zarina, 2:38:50 (Duluth, 2021), USA
Devon Yanko, 2:38:55 (Houston, 2012), USA
Jordan O'Dea, 2:38:57 (Lowell, 2019), USA
Christina Murphy^, 2:39:15 (Columbus, 2013), USA
Lindsay Nelson, 2:39:33 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Hilary Corno^, 2:42:14 (Chicago, 2018), USA
Caroline Chepkoech, Debut (1:05:07 Half), Kazakhstan
Monicah Wanjuhi, Debut (1:07:29 Half), Kenya
Elaina Tabb, Debut (1:10:44 Half), USA
Athletes with ^ next to their names are Masters (40+) athletes
MEN'S OPEN DIVISION - NAME, PERSONAL BEST, COUNTRY
Asefa Mengstu, 2:04:06 (Dubai, 2018), Ethiopia
Lemi Berhanu, 2:04:33 (Dubai, 2016), Ethiopia
Benson Kipruto, 2:05:13 (Toronto, 2019), Kenya
Wilson Chebet, 2:05:27 (Rotterdam, 2011), Kenya
Filex Kiprotich, 2:05:33 (Daegu, 2019), Kenya
Dejene Debela, 2:05:46 (Chicago, 2019), Ethiopia
Thomas Kiplagat, 2:06:00 (Seoul, 2019), Kenya
Felix Kandie, 2:06:03 (Seoul, 2017), Kenya
Paul Lonyangata, 2:06:10 (Paris, 2017), Kenya
Tsedat Ayana, 2:06:18 (Dubai, 2020), Ethiopia
Geoffrey Kirui, 2:06:27 (Amsterdam, 2016), Kenya
Yuki Kawauchi, 2:07:27 (Otsu, 2021), Japan
Abrar Osman, 2:07:46 (Amsterdam, 2019), Eritrea
Jake Robertson, 2:08:26 (Otsu, 2018), New Zealand
Bayelign Teshager, 2:08:28 (Los Angeles, 2020), Ethiopia
Abdi Abdirahman^, 2:08:56 (Chicago, 2006), USA
Scott Fauble, 2:09:09 (Boston, 2019), USA
Colin Bennie, 2:09:38 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Scott Smith, 2:09:46 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Stephen Scullion, 2:09:49 (London, 2020), Ireland
Augustus Maiyo, 2:10:47 (Atlanta, 2020), USA
Dylan Wykes, 2:10:47 (Rotterdam, 2012), Canada
Parker Stinson, 2:10:53 (Chicago, 2019), USA
Matt McDonald, 2:11:10 (Chicago, 2019), USA
CJ Albertson, 2:11:18 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Eric Gillis^, 2:11:21 (Toronto, 2014), Canada
Reid Buchanan, 2:11:38 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Jonas Hampton, 2:12:10 (Atlanta, 2020), USA
Tyler Pennel, 2:12:34 (Atlanta, 2020), USA
Tyler Jermann, 2:12:40 (Chandler, 2020), USA
Rory Linkletter, 2:12:54 (Chandler, 2020), Canada
Peter Gilmore^, 2:13:13 (New York, 2006), USA
Sam Kosgei, 2:13:26 (Sacramento, 2017), USA
Jarrett Leblanc, 2:13:51 (Sacramento, 2018), USA
Tim Young, 2:14:16 (Sacramento, 2017), USA
Carlos Trujillo, 2:14:21 (Chicago, 2012), Guatemala
Luke Humphrey^, 2:14:39 (San Diego, 2011), USA
Nitendra Rawat Singh, 2:15:18 (Guwahati, 2016), India
Daniel Ortiz Perez, 2:15:41 (Valencia, 2020), Mexico
Luis Carlos Rivero, 2:15:43 (Seville, 2020), Guatemala
Thomas Toth, 2:16:28 (Toronto, 2019), Canada
Pardon Ndhlovu, 2:16:47 (Houston, 2019), Zimbabwe
Brian Harvey, 2:17:05 (St. Paul, 2014), USA
Alex Taylor^, 2:17:08 (Duluth, 2019), USA
Patrick Reaves, 2:17:45 (Sacramento, 2018), USA
Peter Bromka^, 2:19:04 (Sacramento, 2019), USA
Chip O'Hara^, 2:21:20 (Tempe, 2020), USA
Eric Blake^, 2:22:49 (Sacramento, 2018), USA
Blue Bendum^, 2:23:43 (Boston, 2014), USA
Jemal Yimer, Debut (58:33 Half NR), Ethiopia
Leonard Barsoton, Debut (59:09 Half), Kenya
Harvey Nelson, Debut (1:01:48 Half), USA
Girma Mecheso, Debut (1:02:16 Half), USA
David Bett, Debut (1:02:31 Half), Kenya
Paul Hogan, Debut (1:04:23 Half), USA
Athletes with ^ next to their names are Masters (40+) athletes
WOMEN'S WHEELCHAIR DIVISION - NAME, PERSONAL BEST, COUNTRY
Manuela Schär, 1:28:17 (Boston, 2017), Switzerland
Susannah Scaroni, 1:30:42 (Grandma's, 2019), USA
Tatyana McFadden, 1:31:30 (Grandma's, 2019), USA
Jenna Fesemyer, 1:37:02 (Grandma's, 2019), USA
Shelly Woods, 1:37:44 (Padova, 2008), Great Britain
Margriet van den Broek, 1:38:33 (Boston, 2017), Netherlands
Arielle Rausin, 1:40:51 (Grandma's, 2019), USA
Vanessa de Souza, 1:45:19 (Oita, 2018), Brazil
Michelle Wheeler, 1:45:55 (Oita, 2018), USA
Yen Hoang, 2:01:06 (Boston, 2019), USA
Eva Houston, N/A, USA
MEN'S WHEELCHAIR DIVISION - NAME, PERSONAL BEST, COUNTRY
Marcel Hug, 1:18:04 (Boston, 2017), Switzerland
Ernst van Dyk, 1:18:04 (Boston, 2017), South Africa
Josh Cassidy, 1:18:25 (Boston, 2012), Canada
Hiroki Nishida, 1:20:28 (Boston, 2017), Japan
Kota Hokinoue, 1:20:54 (Seoul, 2013), Japan
Aaron Pike, 1:20:59 (Grandma's, 2019), USA
Daniel Romanchuk, 1:21:36 (Boston, 2019), USA
Tomoki Suzuki, 1:21:52 (Tokyo, 2020), Japan
James Senbeta, 1:24:27 (Boston, 2017), USA
Simon Lawson, 1:25:06 (Boston, 2017), Great Britain
David Weir, 1:26:17 (Boston, 2016), Great Britain
Sho Watanabe, 1:26:22 (Seoul, 2017), Japan
Johnboy Smith, 1:29:44 (Berlin, 2017), Great Britain
Tristan Smyth, 1:29:53 (Berlin, 2018), Canada
Hermin Garic, 1:32:27 (Grandma's, 2019), USA
Callum Hall, 1:32:49 (Seoul, 2019), Great Britain
Christian Clemmons, 1:38:08 (Grandma's, 2019), USA
Tiaan Bosch, 1:39:01 (Dubai, 2020), South Africa
PARA ATHLETICS DIVISIONS TOP CONTENDERS
- NAME, PERSONAL BEST, COUNTRY, CLASSIFICATION
Chaz Davis, 2:31:48, USA, T12 (Vision Impairment)
Misato Michishita, 2:56:14, Japan, T12 (Vision Impairment)
Tayana Passos, 3:22:27, Brazil, T13 (Vision Impairment)
Marko Cheseto Lemtukei, 2:37:23, USA, T62 (Lower Limb Impairment)
Adam Popp, 3:17:35, USA, T63 (Lower Limb Impairment)
Liz Willis, 4:57:43, USA, T64 (Lower Limb Impairment)
Danielle McLaughlin, 3:50:50, USA, T64 (Lower Limb Impairment)
For the 36th year, John Hancock will serve as principal sponsor of the
Boston Marathon. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Boston Marathon was
moved from its traditional date of the third Monday in April to Monday,
October 11. The fall race will feature a field size of 20,000 participants,
as well as a rolling start for the first time. The in-person race will be
complemented by a virtual race, which will be held from Friday, October 8
through Sunday, October 10.
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