ATHLETICS: Kenya's Korir shatters Boston Marathon course record

BOSTON — John Korir set a new Boston Marathon course record on Monday, leading a Kenyan sweep as his compatriot Sharon Lokedi successfully defended her title in a race marked by a chilly start and a gusty tailwind.

Korir, who won the men's race for the second consecutive year, shattered the 15-year-old course record with a time of two hours, one minute, and 52 seconds. The top three finishers in the men’s race all surpassed the previous record.

Lokedi, meanwhile, took the women's race with a time of two hours, 18 minutes, and 51 seconds. Though she set the course record last year at 2:17:22, this year’s victory still marked a dominant performance.

In the men’s race, Korir surged past Ethiopia’s Milkesha Mengesha at the 20-mile mark, eventually pulling away to run solo for the final six miles. He broke the previous record, set in 2011 by Geoffrey Mutai at 2:03:02. Korir’s final mile was completed in a swift 4 minutes, 26 seconds. Before crossing the finish line, he flashed a broad smile and stuck out his tongue in a playful gesture.

"I knew I would defend my title, but I didn’t know I’d run that fast," Korir said at a post-race press conference.

Meanwhile, Lokedi faced a challenge from her Kenyan rival, Loice Chemnung, until the final stages of the race. With about five miles remaining, Lokedi accelerated, leaving Chemnung behind with a blistering surge that included mile splits under 4:50. "I was just like, ‘let me push it and see how it goes,’" Lokedi said. "I left it all out there. That’s all I can say."

Kenyan women claimed the top four spots in the race, with American runner Jess McClain finishing fifth in a time of 2:20:49 — the fastest-ever time for an American woman at Boston.

The 130th edition of the Boston Marathon saw a chilly start, with temperatures at 45°F (7°C), under clear skies and with a tailwind of up to 10 MPH (16 km/h) aiding the runners.

-Reporting by Tim McLaughlin in Boston; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Christian Radnedge/Reuters