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Boston's Morning Newsletter
Our 2026 Boston Marathon superlatives, from best costumes to biggest winner
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
You'll need to keep the remote closeby for tonight's simultaneous Celtics and Bruins playoff games. But first, let's hit rewind on yesterday's Boston Marathon with a look at the official (and unofficial) winners:
Biggest winner: John Korir made it look easy ("it" being running 26.2 miles at a 4:39 mile pace). The 29-year-old Kenyan breezed across the finish line with a time of 2:01:52, defending his 2025 win here in Boston and breaking the course record by a staggering 70 seconds. No one else had run Boston under 2 hours and 3 minutes before — not to mention 2 hours and 2 minutes. Korir gets an extra $50,000 for setting a course record, in addition to his $150,000 first-place prize money.
- How it happened: Korir took the lead in Newton, and it wasn't long before you could barely see his competitors in the background. "I had no problems, from the start to the finish," Korir said after the race. (Apparently, it helps when you don't fall at the starting line.)
- Korir wasn't the only familiar name to cross the finish line first. Click here to read more about all the top finishers.
Biggest loser: It was a bad day to be a record. The cool temps and helpful tailwind from the west made for fast running weather. Not only did Korir break Geoffrey Mutai's 15-year-old Boston record of 2:03:02, but so did the second- and third-place finishers, Alphonce Felix Simbu and Benson Kipruto, respectively. Sorry, Geoffrey!
- Meanwhile, Zouhair Talbi and Jess McClain — both of whom finished fifth in their respective divisions — set new Boston records for American men and women. If Boston counted for official world records, Talbi's 02:03:45 time would stand as the fastest marathon time run by an American man on any course.
Cutest pick-me-up: On the women's side, Sharon Lokedi also repeated as champion. After staying with the lead group for the majority of the race, Lokedi turned it on in Newton and left the rest of the pack in the dust with several sub-5-minute miles. After the race, a smiling Lokedi credited one particular fan for giving her a boost. "There was a little girl somewhere who said 'You got this, ladies!' And it was so cute," Lokedi said. "And I was like that was what I needed. It gave me so much to look forward to."
Biggest surprise celebrity appearance: We knew Chelsea Clinton was running. What we didn't know was that her parents — yes, Bill and Hillary — would be at the finish line to greet her. (Fun fact: Chelsea Clinton ran under the pseudonym Margaret Smith, a seeming reference to the trailblazing congresswoman and senator from Maine.)
Best dressed: Seattle resident Emily Huff, who dressed as Joy from the movie "Inside Out." Huff told WBUR's Martha Bebinger that she sent a letter of gratitude to someone every week for 26 weeks leading up to the marathon.
- Runners up: Yoel Levy, who told Martha he has run marathons in his Batman costume in eight different countries; an inspiring suit; and the five (!) Alexi Lalas lookalikes.
Most likely to make the most of a bad break: Natalie Goolik, a 10-time Boston Marathon runner from Philadelphia, tore her ACL about 20 weeks ago. Knowing she wouldn't run her best time, she told Martha she decided to wear a tutu this year to at least run in style.
Longest stride (literally, and maybe figuratively): Zdeno Chara. The 6-foot-9 former Bruin knocked 12 minutes off his previous Boston Marathon best.
Best mid-race snack: These pickles in Brookline.
Most questionable footwear decision: The man who ran barefoot.
- Runner up: These Red Sox fans.
Check out our team's full Marathon Monday recap and photos.
B-ware: The MBTA is suspending service on the Green Line's B branch for nine days, starting tomorrow. Shuttle buses will replace trolleys from Kenmore to Boston College station from Wednesday, April 22 through Thursday, April 30. And this weekend (April 25-26), the diversion extends to Copley.
- Plan ahead: T officials suggest budgeting an extra 10 minutes for your regular commute. The shuttles won't stop at the Griggs Street, Allston Street or Packard’s Corner stops due to accessibility issues. You can also ride the 57 bus for free between Packard's Corner and Kenmore during the diversion.
- Heads up: A similar closure is coming to the Green Line's C branch next month.
On the picket line: More than 4,000 graduate students at Harvard University are going on strike today from teaching and research jobs. Members of the Harvard Graduation Students Union say the work stoppage comes after more than a year of negotiations with the university for a new contract. But as the Harvard Crimson reports, there's been little movement lately on their core issues.
P.S.— New Yorker writer (and Dorchester native) Patrick Radden Keefe is coming to CitySpace tonight. The award-winning journalist will join Here & Now's Todd Mundt for a conversation about his newest book, “London Falling." In-person tickets are sold out, but you can livestream the talk for $5 here.
