John Korir and brother Wesley Korir: All you need to know about recent and former Boston Marathon winners

Modified Apr 21, 2025 18:29 GMT

2025 Boston Marathon - Source: Getty — John Korir and his brother Wesley pose with trophy at 2025 Boston Marathon (Photo: Getty Images)

Kenya’s John Korir claimed the 2025 Boston Marathon men’s race with a remarkable time of 2:04:45. This comes six months after he collected another World Marathon Major title by winning the 2024 Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:02:44.

With his brilliant performance in Boston, he now joined his brother Wesley as a winner of the Boston Marathon. Wesley won the race back in April 2012 with a time of 2:12:40. As the first pair of brothers to win the Boston Marathon, let’s get to know more about the newest and former champions of the world’s oldest annual marathon.

John Korir and brother Wesley’s hometown and family

John Korir at 2025 Boston Marathon - Source: Getty

John Korir was born on December 2, 1996, in Kitale, Kenya, while elder brother Wesley was born on November 15, 1982. Wesley attended the University of Louisville. His wife’s name is Tarah and they have four children. One of his daughters' name is McKayla, who is also a runner and currently in high school.

John and Wesley Korir’s other career achievements

John Korir has also secured third place in the 2022 Chicago Marathon and narrowly missed out on podium places in Boston in 2024 and Chicago in 2023 by finishing fourth in both elite races. In July 2024, he won the Boilermaker Road Race in the 15km category, clocking 42:11. He is a two-time Los Angeles Marathon winner.

Meanwhile, Wesley came second in the 2011 Chicago Marathon with a 2:06:15, only behind compatriot Moses Mosop who ran a 2:05:37 to break the then-course record.

Wesley Korir’s career besides marathon running

Wesley Korir at LA Marathon 2009 Source: Getty

In addition to being a marathon runner, Wesley also served as a politician and was a member of the Kenyan Parliament. In a 2014 interview ahead of running his first Canadian marathon in Ottawa, he reflected on why he wanted to pursue politics, stating:

“I think I’ve always known that leadership is my calling and running is my talent. I wanted to use the two of them to help people. What has been important to me in my life is giving back to the community and helping the less fortunate, the way I was helped when I was growing up. So, I decided that to help people more, I needed to get into leadership.”

In 2017, Wesley Korir ran again in the election to keep his position but lost to Joshua Kutuny.

About the author

Abhiruchi is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Wrestling among other sports. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has over 2 years of prior experience in the sports journalism sector.

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are Abhiruchi’s favorite Olympians. She began following them in 2018, and seeing their transformation from initially not wanting to play together to becoming the world's top-ranked men's doubles pair inspires her.

Track & Field excites Abhiruchi the most because of the diverse range of events involved in it. Neeraj Chopra's historic performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stands as her favorite Olympic moment as it was India’s first gold in track and field events. She feels that focus should be placed on up-and-coming athletes to increase the coverage of Olympic sports during the off-season.

Abhiruchi applies journalistic principles learnt while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree by prioritizing first-hand information, cross-checking via multiple reliable sources, and fact-checking for accuracy. She follows reputed sources and numerous established athletes on social media platforms to remain updated.

When not reporting, Abhiruchi enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

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Edited by Abhiruchi Rout