World Class Professional Fields Announced for 2025 Boston 5K presented by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and B.A.A. Invitational Mile

Saturday, April 19 Racing Kicks off Patriots’ Day Weekend

BOSTON – Global medalists, Boston champions, and U.S. stars are set to compete as part of the Boston 5K presented by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and B.A.A. Invitational Mile on Saturday, April 19, kicking off Boston Marathon weekend with racing through Boston’s Back Bay. More than 100 professional athletes from around the globe will compete across the two events.

“This year’s Boston 5K presented by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and B.A.A. Invitational Mile will set the stage for a memorable weekend celebration of running, health, and fitness in the city,” said Jack Fleming, President and Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A. “At the front of the field will be some of the fastest and most accomplished athletes across the Open, Wheelchair, and Para Athletics Divisions.”

BOSTON 5K FIELD TO TACKLE NEW COURSE IN 2025

On April 19, a field of more than 10,000 participants will take to a new race route for the Boston 5K presented by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Starting adjacent to Boston Public Garden, athletes will run out on Commonwealth Avenue towards Boston University before reversing direction, passing through Kenmore Square, running right on Hereford Street and left on Boylston Street, ultimately finishing at the Boston Marathon finish line. The 3.1-mile course is a flat and fast tour of Back Bay.

That’s music to Charles Philibert-Thiboutot’s ears, as the Canadian champion from 2022 returns looking to earn his second Boston 5K crown. Three years ago, ‘CPT’ won in 13:35, sprinting to the line just ahead of a large pack of challengers. Joining him on the line this year is fellow Canadian Olympian Thomas Fafard.

Biya Simbassa, the No.1-ranked road racer nationally, will try to extend the American winning streak to three. Simbassa ran a 2:06:53 marathon in 2024 and was 9th at the USA 5K National Championship, showing his range of abilities. Also toeing the line are Kenya’s Amon Kemboi, best known for his 3:53.57 mile speed, and Eritrea’s Dawit Seare, fourth at the 2023 World Road Running Championships 5K. Josh Kalapos represents the hometown B.A.A. High Performance Team in the professional field. Britain’s Patrick Dever, the NCAA Champion at 10,000m in 2021, is also entered, while fellow countryman Henry McLuckie, fourth in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile last year, moves up in distance to run the Boston 5K this year.

The fastest woman in the field, Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa (14:16.54 5000m best), will be chased by Norah Jeruto, the 2022 World Champion in the 3000m steeplechase from Kazakhstan, Lemlem Hailu, the 2022 World Indoor 3000m gold medalist from Ethiopia, and Tsigie Gebreselama, the 2023 World Cross Country silver medalist from Ethiopia.

Top-ten finishers from a year ago return in Erika Kemp (fifth), Bethany Hasz (sixth), and Vanessa Fraser (eighth), all from the USA. Hasz is a member of the B.A.A. High Performance Team along with her sister, Megan, who is also competing. Taylor Roe comes off a win at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta.

Reigning wheelchair division champions Marcel Hug and Eden Rainbow-Cooper return, hoping to replicate their 2024 Boston Marathon weekends which saw both win the 5K on Saturday and marathon on Monday. Joining them is two-time Boston Marathon winner Daniel Romanchuk.

In the Para Athletics Divisions, 2024 Boston 5K winners El Amin Chentouf (T11/12/13 vision impairment), Atsbha Gebremeskel (T45-47 upper-limb impairment), and Marko Cheseto Lemtukei (T42-T44, T61-T64 lower-limb impairment) all return. Making his Boston debut will be 2024 Paralympic gold medalists Wajdi Boukhili (T12, marathon) and Aminullah Tissaoui (T38, 1500m).

Kelly Bruno (T64) Tatsiana Khvitsko-Trimborn (T61), and Sayers Grooms (T72) are among the women’s entrants in the Para Athletics Divisions.

The Boston 5K starts at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 19.

RETURNING CHAMPION COMBER LEADS B.A.A. INVITATIONAL MILE

Casey Comber won the 2024 B.A.A. Invitational Mile thanks to a last lap kick in 4:07.31, and now looks to become the first man to win back-to-back years since Olympic medalist Nick Willis did so in 2013/2014. Luke Houser, the recently crowned 2025 World Indoor Championships bronze medalist at 1500m and two-time NCAA Indoor Mile champion, will try to play spoiler and win in his first race on the roads in Boston.

Also toeing the line with Boston ties are B.A.A. High Performance Team member Isaac Basten, as well as Boston University’s Foster Malleck, who was third at the NCAA Indoor Championships mile in March.

Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka, a prolific racer across the track and roads, makes her B.A.A. Invitational Mile debut and will go up against Micaela Degenero, fourth a year ago and the 2022 NCAA Indoor mile champion. From the Atlanta Track Club is Laurie Barton, a 4:27 miler.

Canadian Olympians Erin Teschuk and Julie-Anne Staehli and Kenya’s Dorcas Ewoi, a 1:58.19 800m runner, round out the international talent.

In addition to the professionals, student-athletes from each of the eight cities and towns that make up the Boston Marathon route will compete in a Scholastic Mile and Middle School 1K. The B.A.A. Invitational Mile will begin at 11:00 a.m. at the Boston Marathon Finish Line on Saturday, April 19.

Boston 5K presented by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Professional Fields

 

WOMEN’S FIELD	COUNTRY	5,000m PB
Medina Eisa	ETH	14:16.54 (London, 2023)
Tsigie Gebreselama	ETH	14:18.76 (Eugene, 2024)
Lemlen Hailu	ETH	14:34.53 (Paris, 2023)
Grace Loibach	KEN	14:42.63 (Paris, 2023)
Laura Galvan	MEX	14:43.94 (Budapest, 2023)NR
Gela Hambese	ETH	14:47.74 (Doha, 2024)
Vanessa Fraser	USA	14:48.51i (Boston, 2020)
Norah Jeruto	KAZ	14:51.73 (Berlin, 2019)
Lemlem Nibret	ETH	14:56.00 (Montesson, 2023)
Bethany Hasz	USA	15:05.80 (Los Angeles, 2024)
Emily Lipari	USA	15:07.22 (San Juan Capistrano, 2022)
Erika Kemp	USA	15:10.10 (Boston, 2021)
Taylor Roe	USA	15:15.01i (Boston, 2024)
Hannah Steelman	USA	15:19.69 (Portland, 2024)
Dominique Scott	RSA	15:20.84i (Boston, 2020)
Gracelyn Larkin	CAN	15:21.68i (Boston, 2025)
Charlotte Prouse	CAN	15:26.01 (Boston, 2018)
Roisin Flanagan	IRL	15:26.32 (Walnut, 2023)
Eilish Flanagan	IRL	15:33.37i (Boston, 2023)
Megan Hasz	USA	15:33.48 (Lost Angeles, 2023)
Cleo Boyd	CAN	15:44.14 (Raleigh, 2024)
Alexandra Lucki	CAN	15:49.82 (Los Angeles)
Lilly Tuck	CAN	15:53.76 (Philadelphia, 2024)
Katie Kellner	USA	15:56.42 (Guelph, 2014)
Rachel Hyland	USA	16:06.42i (Boston 2021)
Erin Gregoire	USA	16:19.31 (NYC, 2025)
Ryann Helmers	USA	16:21.99 (Charlottesville, 2023)
Stevie Lawrence-Wrist	GBR	17:18.70 (Allendale, 2021)

 

 

MEN’S FIELD	COUNTRY	5,000m PB
Patrick Dever	GBR	13:04.05i (Boston, 2024)
Thomas Fafard	CAN	13:05.07 (Bruxelles, 2024)
Amon Kemboi	KEN	13:06.30i (Boston, 2024)
Dawit Seare	ERI	13:07.77 (Wien, 2024)
Charles Philibert-Thiboutot	CAN	13:12.76 (San Juan Capistrano, 2022)
Sam Parsons	GER	13:12.78i (Boston, 2023) NR
Biya Simbassa	USA	13:19.12 (San Juan Capistrano, 2021)
Reid Buchanan	USA	13:27.03 (Los Angeles, 2023)
John Gay	CAN	13:29.82 (Birmingham, 2022)
Andrew Alexander	CAN	13:29.91i (Boston, 2023)
Jean Simon Desgagnes	CAN	13:33.38 (Azusa, 2024)
Henry McLuckie	GBR	13:36.26 (Walnut,2023)
Mitchell Ubene	CAN	13:36.71 (Langley, 2022)
Connor Black	CAN	13:38.09 (Langley, 2022)
Afewerki Zeru	USA	13:44.58 (Walnut, 2022)
Nicholas Bannon	CAN	13:45.56 (Langley, 2022)
Joey Berriatua	USA	13:49.16 (Sn Juan, Capistrano, 2020)
Oisín Ó Gailín	IRL	13:49.61i (Boston, 2023)
Max Turek	CAN	13:50.37i (Boston, 2022)
Mitchell Dervin	USA	13:57.58i (Boston, 2024)
Ben Connor	GBR	14:08.11 (Boston, 2014)
Ben Garner	USA	14:09.16 (Azusa, 2024)
Brian Harvey	USA	14:13.93 (Princeton, 2012)
Colin Cernik	USA	14:14.52 (Boston, 2024)
Daniel Johanning	CRI	14:16.79 (Azusa, 2024)
Josh Kalapos	USA	14:21.04 (NYC, 2024)
Aaron Willingham	USA	14:22.39 (Boston, 2024)

 

WOMEN’S WHEELCHAIR FIELD	COUNTRY
Hannah Babalola	NGR
Christie Dawes	AUS
Patricia Eachus	SUI
Eden Rainbow-Cooper	GBR
Michelle Wheeler	USA
MEN’S WHEELCHAIR FIELD	COUNTRY
Hermin Garic	USA
Marcel Hug	SUI
Jetze Plat	NED
Daniel Romanchuk	USA
Geert Schipper	NED
Brian Siemann	USA
Johnboy Smith	GBR
David Weir	GBR
Sho Watanabe	JPN

 

WOMEN’S PARA ATHLETICS DIVISION	COUNTRY	CLASSIFICATION
Tatsiana Khvitsko-Trimborn	USA	T61
Kelly  Bruno	USA	T64
Sayers Grooms	USA	T72
MEN’S PARA ATHLETICS DIVISION	COUNTRY	CLASSIFICATION
Wajdi Boukhili	TUN	T12
El Amin Chentouf	MOR	T12
Roy Jebabli	TUN	T12
Thomas  Cantara	USA	T20
Aminullah Tissaoui	TUN	T38
Atsbha Gebremeskel	ETH	T46
Richard Whitehead	GBR	T61
Marko Cheseto Lemteuki	USA	T62
Brian Reynolds	USA	T62
Michael Anwar	USA	T72

 

B.A.A. Invitational Mile Professional Fields

 

WOMEN’S FIELD	COUNTRY	MILE BEST
Dorcus Ewoi	KEN	4:22.39i (Boston, 2025)
Julie-Anne Staehli	CAN	4:27.20i (Boston, 2024)
Laurie Barton	USA	4:27.83i (Clemson, 2025)
Nozomi Tanaka	JPN	4:28:54 (Boston, 2025) NR
Micaela Degenero	USA	4:29.66 (Middletown, 2024)
Annika Reiss	USA	4:31.07i (Boston, 2025)
Erin Teschuk	CAN	4:31.21i (NYC, 2023)
Amaris Tyynismaa	USA	4:32.56i (Boston, 2023)
Maddy Berkson	USA	4:33.55i (Boston, 2022)
Abbe Goldstein	USA	4:34.15i (Seattle, 2023)
Alison Andrews-Paul	NZL	4:37.86i (Seattle, 2024)
Madison Trippett	USA	4:43.19i (Boston, 2024)
Anna Vess	USA	4:44.77i (Allendale, 2025)

 

MEN’S FIELD	COUNTRY	MILE BEST
Luke Houser	USA	3:51.73i (Seattle, 2024)
Derek Johnson	USA	3:53.13i (Boston, 2025)
Mick Stanovsek	AUS	3:53.38i (Boston, 2025)
Isaac Basten	USA	3:53.54i (Boston, 2024)
Kasey Knevelbaard	USA	3:53.64 (Raleigh, 2024)
Austen Dalquist	USA	3:53.77i (Fayetteville, 2025)
Foster Malleck	CAN	3:53.82i (Boston, 2025)
Sair Salgado	USA	3:56.17 (Middletown, 2024)
Davis Bove	USA	3:56.38 (Nashville, 2022)
Christian Noble	USA	3:56.65i (Boston, 2025)
Aaron Ahl	CAN	3:57.21 (Eagle Rock, 2022)
Casey Comber	USA	3:58.44 (Wilmington, 2022)
Miles Smith	USA	3:59.47i (Boston, 2025)

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 economic impact of the 2024 Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America produced $509.million in state and local economic activity. The 129th Boston Marathon is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 21, 2025.

The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City.

For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.

Source: Boston Marathon – B.A.A.