Heartbreak for Defending Boston Marathon Champion as 34-Year-Old Favorite Dropped Out Mid-Race

What started as a hopeful title defense at the 2025 Boston Marathon turned into heartbreak for Sisay Lemma. The 34-year-old Ethiopian, who won last year’s race with a gutsy front-running performance, stepped off the course just after mile 17. Television coverage showed him pulling to the side and trying to stretch out his leg, but he never rejoined the pack, ending his day and his shot at back-to-back titles.

Lemma came into Boston 2025 as one of the clear favorites, carrying the fastest personal best in the men’s field—a blazing 2:01:48 from Valencia in 2023. He started strong, pushing the pace early with a brutal 4:32 mile on the downhill stretch near mile 17. But the effort caught up to him fast. After a slower 5:01 mile allowed the pack to tighten, Lemma began to fade, and signs of discomfort soon followed. Despite a brief attempt to stretch and reset, he ultimately left the race.

Defending champion Sisay Lemma has been dropped. Stopped to stretch and he could be done.

After a big 4:32 mile on the downhills at Mile 16, the men's lead group is still about a dozen strong. Then they ran 5:01 and a few people regained ground.

— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) April 21, 2025

With the defending champion out, the men’s field opened wide. Americans Clayton Young and Conner Mantz, along with Australia’s Patrick Tiernan, surged to the front as the final miles approached. But in the end, the win belonged to John Korir.

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