Wesley Korir

Wesley Kipchumba Korir (15 November 1982) is a Kenyan athlete who specializes in long distance running competitions, as well as a politician who served as an elected member of Parliament for Cherangany Constituency. On 16 April 2012, he won the Boston Marathon with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes 40 seconds. He had previously won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2009 and 2010, the first back-to-back winner there in eight years. He took second place in the 2011 Chicago Marathon in a personal-record time of 2 hours 6 minutes 15 seconds, and improved that personal record by 2 seconds in the 2012 Chicago Marathon. In the 2013 Kenyan general election, Korir was elected to a seat in the National Assembly. He lost his seat in 2017.

Athletics career

Korir was born on 15 November 1982 in Kitale, Trans-Nzoia District. When he was young, he would run 5 miles (8 km) each way to school, often running back for lunch or to do errands for his mother. I remember telling God, Hallelujah. I've left the poverty land. I'm going to the land of riches. In my heart and head, I never thought I would go back.

He would win both the 5000 m and 10000 m at the Ohio Valley Conference championships in 2004, Ereng put him in touch with University of Louisville track coach Ron Mann, and Korir transferred there. He would go on to win his next marathon, the May 2009 Los Angeles Marathon, in a time of 2:08:24 which at the time was the fastest marathon ever run in the state of California.

Political career In 2013, Korir was elected a member of Kenya's Parliament as an independent candidate representing Cherangany Constituency. Although elected as an independent, in 2016 he joined the Jubilee Party. In 2017, he lost a bid to represent Jubilee as the MP for Cherangany Constituency.

Since becoming an MP, Korir has taken up the cause of clean water in his constituency and throughout Kenya: He and his wife founded the Kenyan Kids Foundation to improve education and healthcare in his homeland, and they are assisting with the construction of a new hospital in Korir's hometown of Kitale. Before his election to the Kenya National Assembly, the family divided its time between Louisville, Canada, and Kenya;

Korir is noted for buying two Subway tuna sandwiches before each race, one of which he eats pre-race and the other intended to eat post-race, but which he often gives to a homeless person instead.

When his younger brother John won the 2025 Boston Marathon, they became the first brothers to both win the race.

Achievements Representing 2008 Chicago Marathon Chicago, IL 4th Marathon 2:13:532009 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, CA 1st Marathon 2:08:24 Chicago Marathon Chicago, IL 6th Marathon 2:10:382010 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, CA 1st Marathon 2:09:19 2010 Chicago Marathon Chicago, IL 4th Marathon 2:08:442011 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, CA 4th Marathon 2:13:23 2011 Chicago Marathon Chicago, IL 2nd Marathon 2:06:152012 2012 Boston Marathon Boston, MA 1st Marathon 2:12:40 2012 Chicago Marathon Chicago, IL 5th Marathon 2:06:132013 2013 Boston Marathon Boston, MA 5th Marathon 2:12:302015 2015 Boston Marathon Boston, MA 5th Marathon 2:10:492016 2016 Boston Marathon Boston, MA 4th Marathon 2:14:052017 2017 Boston Marathon Boston, MA 15th Marathon 2:18:14