Boston Champions, Rising Stars Headline 2026 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund

Boston’s signature half marathon to be run on November 8, starting and finishing at Franklin Park 

BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced the professional field for the 2026 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, led by two time reigning champion Fentaye Belayneh (Ethiopia), 2023 winner Abel Kipchumba (Kenya), two time Boston Marathon champion Daniel Romanchuk (USA), plus road racing ace Habtom Samuel (Eritrea). Also back are defending wheelchair division victors Miguel Jimenez-Vergara and Yen  Hoang of the USA. The 13.1-mile route runs along the Emerald Necklace Park System, starting and finishing at Franklin Park.  

“The Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund is a signature race on the autumn running calendar, and a strong field of professional athletes are ready to take on one of  the most picturesque courses in road racing,” said Jack Fleming, President and CEO of the B.A.A. “As we celebrate 25 years of the Boston Half, we anticipate close competition and potential record setting performances in the open, wheelchair, and Para Athletics Divisions.”  

HISTORIC THREE-PEAT POSSIBLE FOR FENTAYE BELAYNEH 

Fentaye Belayneh of Ethiopia, the two-time defending Boston Half champion, returns with experience and speed on her side. She’s won the past two editions in 1:08:51 and 1:10:26, and also earned a first place finish at the 2026 Houston Half in a lifetime best 1:04:49. No woman has completed a three-peat in Boston Half history, and no woman is faster in this year’s field. 

Challenging Belayneh is a field that includes six women with sub-1:10 personal bests, including  Germany’s Melat Kejeta (1:05:18) and Ethiopia’s Sentayehu Lewetegn (1:06:58), both of which make their Boston road racing debut. Having transitioned to the roads is Mercy Cherono, the 2013 World Championships silver medalist at 5,000 meters on the track and fourth place finisher at the 2016 Olympic 5,000m.  

Megan (Hasz) Sailor of the B.A.A. High Performance team is back to build upon a sixth place and top  American finish at the 2025 Boston Half (1:09:39 PB). She was ninth at the Falmouth Road Race, and trains in Boston under the guidance of B.A.A. High Performance Team head coach and Olympian Mark Carroll.

Sydney Vaught will race the Boston Half for the first time, the 2026 USA 10,000m national champion on the track. Great Britain’s Jasmine Trott will be making her debut in the half marathon distance, with a personal best of 33:35.17 in the 10,000m. Emily Durgin is the fastest American in the field (1:07:54). 

BOSTON CHAMP ABEL KIPCHUMBA TO BATTLE ROADS STAR HABTOM SAMUEL 

Habtom Samuel earned five NCAA championship titles at the University of New Mexico before  pivoting to the professional ranks – a shift that could not have gone smoother. This year Samuel has already picked up wins at the Houston Half Marathon (59:01), Falmouth Road Race and Beach to Beacon 10K, and asserted himself as one to watch no matter the distance. 

In Boston he’ll battle 2023 champion Abel Kipchumba of Kenya. Kipchumba’s best of 58:07 is fastest in the field, and he’s run under 60 minutes nine times. His 2023 winning time was 1:01:32. 

Mohammed El Youssfi of Morocco is no stranger to the winner’s podium either, having claimed first at the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, Gate River Run 15K, and Pittsburgh Half this year. He was also  seventh at April’s Boston 5K. 

USA half marathon national champion Wesley Kiptoo and 2:07:14 marathoner Ethan Shuley are expected to lead the American field. Kiptoo represented Team USA at the 2026 World Athletics Half  Marathon Championships, finishing 23rd, and Shuley is coming off a 2:08:34 at the Sydney Marathon in September. 

B.A.A. High Performance Team members James Mwaura and Eric van der Els will make their Boston  Half debuts. Mwaura enters the half with momentum, finishing second at the USA 20K  Championships in New Haven. Princeton, Mass.-native Colin Bennie, top American at the 2021  Boston Marathon, also is competing. 

QUARTET OF HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONS RETURN IN WHEELCHAIR DIVISION 

Miguel Jimenez-Vergara and Daniel Romanchuk have captured four of the last five Boston Half titles between them, with Jimenez-Vergara winning in 2019 and 2025 while Romanchuk broke the tape in 2022 and 2024. Romanchuk is coming off a win at the B.A.A. 10K and a second-place finish at April’s Boston Marathon; he also owns the event record of 47:38. 

Experience is pivotal in the women’s wheelchair division: Yen Hoang (2025, 1:01:02) and Michelle Wheeler (2024, 1:00:25) are the most recent champions, and know the course’s undulating hills well. Expect them to contend for victory, joined by 2024 B.A.A. 10K winner Hoda Elshorbagy.  

RECORD HOLDERS, DEFENDING CHAMPS AMONG PARA ATHLETICS DIVISION 

Among the Para Athletes set to defend their 2025 division titles are Thomas Cantara (T20), Peter  Keating (T42-T44/T61-T64), and Atsbha Gebremeskel (T45-T47) on the men’s side, as well as  Cristina Burbach (T35-T38) and Kelly Bruno (T42-T44/T61-T64) on the women’s side. Cantara,  Gebremeskel, Burbach, and Bruno are Boston Half event record holders for their respective  classifications, and if anyone can beat their times they earn a $400 bonus.  

Perennial contenders and past champions Marko Cheseto-Lemtukei and Brian Reynolds will add to the mix in the T42-T44/T61-T64 division.

A complete field list can be found below, and will be updated through race day on baa.org.

ADDITIONAL BOSTON HALF INFO 

Nearly 9,000 athletes are expected to cross the start line, with citizens of 104 countries and residents of 46 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C. signed up. More than 7,000 Massachusetts residents are entered. The event features athletes of all ages and abilities; the youngest entrant is 14 years old, while the oldest entrant is 83 years old. 

The updated Boston Half course runs along the picturesque Emerald Necklace Park System, past landmarks such as the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond, and Franklin Park Zoo, before finishing on  Pierpont Road in Franklin Park. The Boston Half is a family-friendly event for athletes and spectators of all ages. 

Free youth events will be offered on race morning within Franklin Park, including races and medals for all. Pre-registration is now available. 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund has partnered with the Boston Half since 2003 as the race’s presenting sponsor and exclusive charity team. Through this relationship, Dana-Farber runners have collectively raised more than $12 million to support groundbreaking cancer research, and enabled Dana-Farber scientists and clinicians to positively impact the lives of cancer patients around  the world. More than 600 Team Dana-Farber athletes annually raise funds through the race. 

PROFESSIONAL FIELD LISTS

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 131st Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will be held on Monday, April 19, 2027. 

The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international  marathons in Tokyo, London, Cape Town, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.