Simbu poised for strong showing at Boston Marathon

USA: AS the roar of the Boston crowd builds this morning, the hearts of Tanzanians and many across the globe, are firmly fixed on one man: Alphonce Felix Simbu. The decorated longdistance runner proudly carries his nation’s flag into the fiercely competitive professional men’s division of the 2025 Boston Marathon, where the stakes are sky-high.

Tanzania has tasted Boston success recently. In the 2023 edition, Gabriel Geay delivered a stellar performance, finishing second with a time of 2:06:04, only narrowly beaten by Evans Chebet. Notably, Geay’s impressive run placed him ahead of the legendary Eliud Kipchoge, who finished sixth. Geay also triumphed in the B.A.A. 10K men’s race in Boston that same year, clocking a swift 27:49 minutes.

Simbu arrives in Boston riding a wave of momentum after clocking a personal best of 2:04:38 in Valencia earlier this year. That performance placed him squarely among the world’s top marathoners and gives him a legitimate shot at the podium today.

The men’s elite field this year is one of the deepest in recent memory. Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma leads the contenders with the fastest personal best in the field at 2:01:48, while Kenya’s John Korir and Evans Chebet, with times of 2:02:44 and 2:03:00 respectively, are hot on his heels.

Both Lemma and Chebet are seasoned marathon champions and bring proven strength to Boston’s d e m a n d i n g course. Others, like Kenya’s CyBrian Kotut and Ethiopia’s Haymanot Alew, who both recently broke the 2:04 barrier in Berlin, are also expected to be in the mix at the front.

The stakes are heightened by one of the largest prize purses in marathon racing. The winner of the men’s division will take home a USD 150,000 prize, with USD 75,000 going to the second-place finisher and USD 40,000 awarded to third place. Additional incentives are available for course records and top national performances, adding further fuel to an already blazing competitive fire.