Reigning Boston Marathon Winner Hellen Obiri, Defending B.A.A. 10K Champion Leonard Korir, plus American Record Holder Emily Sisson to Compete in June 25 Race
BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced professional fields for the 2023 B.A.A. 10K presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to be run on Sunday, June 25 through Back Bay. Among the challengers set to compete are Boston Marathon champions Hellen Obiri (2023) and Benson Kipruto (2021), defending B.A.A. 10K winner Leonard Korir, as well as national record holder Emily Sisson. Complete field lists can be found below.
The B.A.A. 10K presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital will be the second event of the 2023 B.A.A. Distance Medley, a year-long series featuring the B.A.A. 5K (April), B.A.A. 10K (June), and B.A.A. Half Marathon (November). Registration remains open with limited spots remaining.
“Many fan favorites and global stars return to Boston for this year’s B.A.A. 10K, including Boston Marathoners, American record holders, Olympians and Paralympians,” said Mary Kate Shea, Director of Professional Athletes for the B.A.A. “The B.A.A. 10K course is flat, fast, and –most importantly—fun for our top contenders. We look forward to kicking off summer with a memorable competition on June 25.”
Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist, won April’s Boston Marathon in her Boston debut, and will return to the roads hoping to extend her winning streak. Her 30:15 personal best at 10K is fourth fastest among the field, only trailing Sheila Chepkirui (Kenya, 29:46), Vicoty Chepngeno (Kenya, 30:14), and Joan Chelimo Melly (Romania, 30:14). Chelimo Melly won the B.A.A. 10K in 2017, while Chepkirui placed fourth at last month’s TCS London Marathon.
Korir, the reigning B.A.A. 10K champion, is fresh off a win at the USA 25K National Championships on May 13, and looks to become the fourth man to win back-to-back B.A.A. 10Ks. Sisson, the current American record holder in the marathon and half marathon also will return, joined by Olympic Marathon bronze medalist and former Boston resident Molly Seidel.
Among the international field squaring off are Boston Marathon winners Kipruto (2021), Edna Kiplagat (2017 and 2021), and Caroline Rotich (2015), all of Kenya. Gabriel Geay (Tanzania) will return after a runner-up finish at April’s Boston Marathon, and previously won the B.A.A. 10K in 2018.
Geoffrey Koech, winner of last year’s B.A.A. Half Marathon, will compete, as will Callum Hawkins of Great Britain, twice the fourth-place finisher at the World Championships marathon, plus decorated road racers Edward Cheserek (Kenya), a 17-time NCAA champion, and Zouhair Talbi (Morocco), most recently fifth at the Boston Marathon. From Team B.A.A. are Matt McDonald, Paul Hogan, Jonas Hampton, and Eric Hamer.
Mary Ngugi of Kenya, a two-time B.A.A. 10K winner and two-time Boston Marathon podium finisher, will aim for title number three, as fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon champion, looks for her first B.A.A. event victory. Team B.A.A.’s Annie Rodenfels, third place and top American at the 2023 B.A.A. 5K, will make her debut at the 10K distance leading a full contingent of Boston-based B.A.A. teammates including Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, and Jenna Magness.
Hermin Garic, the 2022 B.A.A. 10K winner, returns in the men’s wheelchair division, while Yen Hoang, third place at the 2021 Boston Marathon, leads the women’s wheelchair division. Brian Reynolds and Liz Willis will compete in the T61-64 (lower-limb impairment) division having already earned podium placings at the Boston Marathon in April. Reynolds, a Massachusetts native, set a world best 1:25:46 at the 2022 B.A.A. Half Marathon. Local Para athlete and last year’s T61-64 women’s winner, Adrianne Haslet, will also compete. Additional 2023 Boston Marathon Para division winners Andrew Thorson (T11-T13 vision impairment) and Atsbha Gebre (T45/T46 upper-limb impairment) are racing. The B.A.A. 10K presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital has been certified by World Para Athletics as a record-eligible competition, paving the way for Para Athletes to set world and national records this year.
Registration for the 2023 B.A.A. 10K presented by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is currently open through the B.A.A.’s online platform Athletes’ Village. All participants who enter will receive an adidas participant shirt, unique bib number, and finisher medal. Additional participant information can be found on baa.org. The race will start at 8:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 25 on Charles Street adjacent to Boston Common and Boston Public Garden.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the B.A.A. 10K’s presenting sponsor and exclusive fundraising partner, will again field a team of fundraising runners. Since 2016, more than 2,100 runners and 180 teams have raised $1.2 million to fuel life-giving breakthroughs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Learn more and register at www.runbwh.org/10k.
MEN’S PROFESSIONAL FIELD
NAME |
COUNTRY |
PB |
Geoffrey Koech |
Kenya |
27:02 (Prague, 2019) |
Tsegay Kidanu |
Ethiopia |
27:14 (Malaga, 2022) |
Teshome Mekonen |
USA |
27:50 (Prague, 2015) |
Gabriel Geay |
Tanzania |
27:58 (Atlanta, 2019) |
Leonard Korir |
USA |
28:00 (Boston, 2022) |
Callum Hawkins |
Great Britain |
28:02 (Valencia, 2020) |
Abel Kipchumba |
Kenya |
28:06 (Prague, 2017) |
Edward Cheserek |
Kenya |
28:26 (Charleston, 2021) |
Zouhair Talbi |
Morocco |
28:26 (Boston, 2022) |
Alex Masai |
Kenya |
28:29 (Boston, 2022) |
Richard Ringer |
Germany |
28:42 (Malaga, 2022) |
Johannes Motschmann |
Germany |
28:51 (Dresden, 2020) |
Reid Buchanan |
USA |
28:57 (New Orleans, 2018) |
Paul Hogan |
USA |
29:00 (Boston, 2022) |
Eric Hamer |
USA |
29:03 (Hardeeville, 2021) |
Derek Hawkins |
Great Britain |
29:24 (Houilles, 2015) |
Matt McDonald |
USA |
29:38 (Atlanta, 2021) |
Diego Estrada |
USA |
29:41 (Boulder, 2016) |
Henry Sterling |
USA |
29:48 (Phoenix, 2021) |
Jonas Hampton |
USA |
30:15 (Gloucester, 2018) |
Tim McGowan |
USA |
30:17 (Northport, 2021) |
Jack Leitch |
Great Britain |
30:17 (Brighton, 2019) |
Reed Fischer |
USA |
30:20 (Boulder, 2020) |
Thomas Toth |
Canada |
30:38 (Cape Elizabeth, 2019) |
Aaron Templeton |
USA |
debut |
Benson Kipruto |
Kenya |
debut |
Erik Linden |
USA |
debut |
Josh Kalapos |
USA |
debut |
JP Flavin |
USA |
debut |
Stephen Kiprop |
Kenya |
debut |
Edwin Kurgat |
Kenya |
debut |
WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL FIELD
NAME |
COUNTRY |
PB |
Sheila Chepkirui |
Kenya |
29:46 (Valencia, 2020) |
Vicoty Chepngeno |
Kenya |
30:14 (Castellon, 2022) |
Joan Chelimo Melly |
Romania |
30:14+ (Prague, 2018) |
Hellen Obiri |
Kenya |
30:15 (Manchester, 2022) |
Irine Cheptai |
Kenya |
30:16 (Prague, 2022) |
Mary Ngugi |
Kenya |
30:30 (Middlesbrough, 2021) |
Edna Kiplagat |
Kenya |
31:06 (Boston, 2016) |
Sharon Lokedi |
Kenya |
31:06 (Manchester, 2022) |
Caroline Rotich |
USA |
31:30 (New York City, 2022) |
Stacy Ndiwa |
Kenya |
31:35 (Houilles, 2017) |
Emily Sisson |
USA |
31:47 (Boston, 2016) |
Emily Durgin |
USA |
31:49 (Atlanta, 2021) |
Annie Frisbie |
USA |
31:55 (Charleston, 2021) |
Dominque Scott |
South Africa |
31:58 (Charleston, 2022) |
Ftwaw Zeray |
Ethiopia |
32:07 (Valencia, 2022) |
Lindsay Flanagan |
USA |
32:09 (New York City, 2021) |
Molly Seidel |
USA |
32:13 (New York City, 2021) |
Susana Sullivan |
USA |
33:02 (Atlanta, 2021) |
Jessie Cardin |
USA |
33:45 (Hardeville, 2021) |
Katrina Spratford-Sterling |
USA |
34:01 (Phoenix, 2021) |
Jacqueline Gaughan |
USA |
34:34 (Gloucester, 2022) |
Anna Oeser |
USA |
34:54 (Boston, 2022) |
Annie Rodenfels |
USA |
Debut |
Bethany Hasz |
USA |
Debut |
Megan Hasz |
USA |
Debut |
Jenna Magness |
USA |
Debut |
Jeralyn Poe |
USA |
Debut |
PARA ATHLETICS DIVISION & WHEELCHAIR FIELD
NAME |
COUNTRY |
CLASSIFICATION |
Yen Hoang |
USA |
T53 (Wheelchair Division) |
Michelle Wheeler |
USA |
T54 (wheelchair division) |
Evan Correll |
USA |
T54 (Wheelchair Division) |
James Senbeta |
USA |
T54 (Wheelchair Division) |
Hermin Garic |
USA |
T54 (Wheelchair Division) |
Andrew Thorsen |
USA |
T11-13 (Vision Impairment) |
Atsbha Gebre |
Ethiopia |
T45/T46 (Upper-limb impairment) |
Brian Reynolds |
USA |
T61-64 (Lower-limb Impairment) |
Liz Willis |
USA |
T61-64 (Lower-limb Impairment) |
Adrianne Haslet |
USA |
T61-64 (Lower-limb Impairment) |
ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock. Starting in 2024, the Boston Marathon’s presenting partner will be Bank of America. The 128th Boston Marathon is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 15, 2024. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.