Boston Marathon Announces Deepest Women’s Field Yet, Led by Record-Breaking Americans

The Boston Athletic Association on Tuesday unveiled the women’s professional field for the 130th Boston Marathon, setting up what organizers say could be one of the most competitive races in the event’s long history.

The race, scheduled for April 20, 2026, will feature elite women from 18 countries and is anchored by what the B.A.A. described as the deepest American women’s field ever assembled for Boston. Thirteen U.S. athletes in the field have run under 2 hours and 26 minutes for the marathon.

“The 130th edition of the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will feature unrivaled depth and head-to-head racing that’ll be exciting from start to finish,” said Mary Kate Shea, the B.A.A.’s chief operating officer. “The strength of the American field, combined with the international field’s experience, is setting the stage for a clash that could result in records and sprint finishes on Boylston Street.”

Olympic Team and World Championship Standouts

All three members of the 2024 U.S. Olympic women’s marathon team will be on the starting line: Emily Sisson, Fiona O’Keeffe and Dakotah Popehn.

Sisson is the American marathon record holder, having run 2:18:29. O’Keeffe is coming off a fourth-place finish at the 2025 New York City Marathon in November. Popehn ran a lifetime best of 2:24:21 while finishing seventh at the Chicago Marathon last October.

Also returning is the full American team from last year’s World Championships marathon in Tokyo: Susanna Sullivan, Jess McClain and Erika Kemp. Sullivan placed fourth at Worlds, while McClain was the top American finisher at Boston last year, finishing seventh overall in 2:22:43. Kemp owns a personal best of 2:22:56, the fastest marathon time ever run by a U.S.-born Black woman.

Annie Frisbie, who finished eighth at Boston last April in 2:23:21, is also back after placing fifth at the New York City Marathon in November.

“2025 was my strongest racing year on the world stage, between Boston and the World Championships Marathon in September,” McClain said. “I look forward to carrying that momentum and experience into April’s 130th Boston Marathon.”

Keira D’Amato, a former American record holder in both the marathon and half marathon, will make her third Boston appearance. Sara Hall, a former U.S. half-marathon record holder, is also entered after finishing second at the Houston Marathon earlier this month in 2:26:26.

Debuts and International Firepower

Several American runners will make their Boston Marathon debuts, including Megan Sailor, Natosha Rogers and Amanda Vestri.

Sailor, who trains in Boston as a member of the B.A.A. High Performance Team, placed third at the 2025 U.S. Marathon Championships in her first marathon, running 2:25:17. Rogers placed sixth at the Chicago Marathon and seventh at Nagoya last year, while Vestri finished ninth in her marathon debut at the New York City Marathon in 2:25:40.

Internationally, the field is led by defending Boston champion Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, who set a course record of 2:17:22 last year. She will be joined by fellow Kenyans Irine Cheptai and Vivian Cheruiyot, as well as Ethiopians Workenesh Edesa and Bedatu Hirpa.

Cheruiyot, a four-time Olympic medalist on the track, continues her transition to the marathon after placing fifth at the London Marathon last year. Edesa has won marathons in Sydney, Osaka and Hamburg over the past two seasons, while Hirpa claimed victories at the Paris and Dubai Marathons in 2025.

Experience on Boston’s challenging course will also come from Britain’s Calli Hauger-Thackery and Kenya’s Mary Ngugi-Cooper. Hauger-Thackery finished sixth at Boston last year in 2:22:38 and followed that performance with wins at the Honolulu Marathon and the Houston Marathon. Ngugi-Cooper has placed in the top 10 at Boston five times and ran a personal best of 2:19:25 at the Chicago Marathon last fall.

No American woman has won the open division of the Boston Marathon since Des Linden in 2018, a streak that sets up a clear storyline as one of the deepest U.S. women’s fields ever takes on a strong international lineup.

Race Details

The 130th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will be held on Monday, April 20, 2026. The race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors series.

The B.A.A. said media credential applications for the 2026 race will open in February, with details to be posted on its media relations website. The men’s professional field will be announced at a later date.

Full Women Elite Field