Kenyan Korir keeping Boston Marathon ambitions alive

At 37, Kenyan Wesley Korir is hoping to reprise his 2012 victory at the Boston Marathon.

It’s moving this year from April to September due to the novel coronavirus is giving him five extra months to recover from an injury he sustained at the race last year.

Speaking Kenya’s Star, Korir said: “My target is to run in Boston this year after the postponement of the event from April to September due to coronavirus. I am optimistic that my injury would have completed healed by then.”

A former 2:06 marathoner, Korir was sidelined for an entire season since picking up the injury in April last year.

Now based in Eldoret – the distance running mecca in Kenya, if not all of Africa – Korir has all the time he needs to regain full fitness.

The prospect of still being able to run the race this year is something that excited Korir.

“Boston and Chicago have been my best courses and returning to Boston this year will be great.”

To go with his victory in the 2012 Boston Marathon, Korir has also finished fifth (2013, 2014) twice and fourth in  2016. He has also won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2009 and 2011.

If the race does go ahead this year, reigning champions Lawrence Cherono of Kenya and Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia will head a list of eight past winners who’ll line up for the 124th edition of the Boston Marathon.

Cherono won the 2019 race by two seconds over two-time winner Lelisa Desisa while Degefa, the Ethiopian record holder at 2:17:41, won by an impressive 42-second margin.

In partnership with ANA and Sports Leo