Defending Champions, American Stars Lead Field for 2025 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund

 Defending Champions, American Stars Lead Field for 2025 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund

 

New England’s signature half marathon will be held November 9 starting and finishing at Franklin Park

 

BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has announced the professional field for the upcoming 2025 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, led by defending open division champions Yemane Haileselassie (Eritrea) and Fantaye Belayneh (Ethiopia), as well as 2024 wheelchair division winners Daniel Romanchuk (USA) and Michelle Wheeler (USA). Team USA Olympic marathoner Clayton Young and former American record holder Keira D’Amato will also compete, racing the 13.1-mile route along the Emerald Necklace Park System. 

 

“More than 70 of the world’s most accomplished athletes from 13 countries will line up to compete as part of the professional field on the roads of Boston, leading the way for 9,000 participants,” said Jack Fleming, B.A.A. President and CEO. “We are delighted to welcome back athletes who’ve won each of our events before – the Boston 5K, 10K, Half, and Boston Marathon – as well as Olympians and Paralympians. Whether participating, volunteering, or spectating and cheering, the 2025 Boston Half presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund will be a memorable race day.”

 

Though Haileselassie won by 15 seconds a year ago, he expects a close contest this year. Young – ninth at both the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon and 2025 World Athletics Championships Marathon – took seventh at April’s Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America. He will race his first Boston Half and enters with a 1:00:52 lifetime best. Kenya’s Isaia Lasoi is fastest in the field (58:10 personal best) followed closely by countryman Alex Nzioka Matata (59:20). 

 

Beyond Haileselassie, two top ten finishers from 2024 return: Olympian Thomas Fafard (Canada, seventh in 1:02:17) and B.A.A. High Performance Team member Barry Keane (Ireland, ninth in 1:02:35) have strong experience on the undulating course. Elkanah Kibet, a four-time representative of Team USA at the World Championships Marathon, returns to Boston with a fifth-place finish from 2010 on his resume. Sam Chelanga, third place in 2012 and fourth in 2013, has also run well here. B.A.A. High Performance Team member James Mwaura will make his debut.

 

The women’s professional field features many familiar faces on Boston podiums. In addition to Belayneh (2024 Boston Half), Ethiopia’s Melknat Wudu (2024 Boston 10K), American D’Amato (2022 Boston 10K), and Kenya’s Monicah Ngige (2019 Boston 10K) have all taken home wins at B.A.A. events. Knocking on the door are Mercy Chelangat (Kenya) and Daisy Jepkemei (Kazakhstan), seventh and eighth, respectively, a year ago in 1:10:32 and 1:10:43. Kenyans Evaline Chirchir (1:06:01) and Grace Loibach (1:06:31) enter with the fastest lifetime bests; Loibach was runner-up at April’s Boston 5K.

 

B.A.A. High Performance Team member Megan Sailor was the top American in 2024 (tenth, 1:11:27) and will have home course advantage. World Championships Marathon team member Erika Kemp, 2:23:31 marathoner Lindsay Flanagan, and 2023 NCAA 10,000m champion Everlyn Kemboi also are among the top American entrants. 

 

Two-time Boston Marathon Wheelchair Division winner Daniel Romanchuk aims to earn his third Boston Half win. He set the course record of 47:38 last year and will go up against 2023 winner Hermin Garic.

 

Michelle Wheeler broke the tape first in 1:00:25 last year to secure her first Boston Half wheelchair victory and now aims to become the fifth repeat winner in division history. The entire top four from 2024 – Wheeler, Yen Hoang, Hannah Babalola, and Chelsea Stein—return for a rematch. 

 

In the Para Athletics Division, four winners from the 2024 Boston Half will defend their crowns: Marko Cheseto Lemtukei (T42-T44/T61-T64 lower-limb impairment), Atsbha Gebremeskel (T45-T47 upper-limb impairment), Kelly Bruno (T42-T44/T61-T64 lower-limb impairment), and Cristina Burbach (T35-T38 coordination impairment). Joining them on the start line is world record holder Brian Reynolds (T42-T44/T61-T64 lower-limb impairment), a Massachusetts native. 

 

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

 

Nearly 9,000 athletes are expected to cross the start line, with citizens of 97 countries and residents of 45 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C. signed up. A total of 7,386 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 82 years old. 

 

Free youth events will be offered on race morning within Franklin Park, including races and medals for all. 

 

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.

 

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 $10 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 have raised funds for this year’s race.  

 

PROFESSIONAL OPEN WOMEN’S FIELD

 

NAME	COUNTRY	PERSONAL BEST
Evaline Chirchir	KEN	1:06:01 (Ras Al Khaimah, 2020)
Grace Loibach	KEN	1:06:31 (Meishan, 2025)
Keira D'Amato	USA	1:06:39 (Gold Coast, 2023)
Gladys Kwamboka Mong'are	KEN	1:07:16 (Yangzhou, 2025)
Monicah Ngige	KEN	1:07:29 (Houston, 2019)
Fantaye Belayneh	ETH	1:07:31 (Lisbon, 2024)
Daisy Jepkemei	KAZ	1:07:54 (Lyon, 2024)
Mercy Chelangat	KEN	1:08:57 (Houston, 2024)
Haftamnesh Tesfay Haylu	ETH	1:09:02 (Rome, 2018)
Erika Kemp	USA	1:09:10, Houston, 2024)
Lindsay Flanagan	USA	1:09:17 (Houston,  2025)
Everlyn Kemboi	USA	1:10:06 (Pittsburgh, 2025)
Megan Sailor	USA	1:10:13 (Houston, 2025)
Melknat Wudu	ETH	1:10:30 (Boston, 2024)
Dani Polereky	USA	1:11:08 (Houston, 2025)
Jessa Hanson	USA	1:11:26 (Fort Worth, 2023)
Rachel Smith	USA	1:12:36 (Boston, 2023)
Annabel Stafford	USA	1:14:35 (Boston, 2024)
Mercy Cherono	KEN	1:15:47 (Sosiot, 2025)
Courtney Hawkins	USA	Debut
Daisy Liljegren	USA	Debut
Angelia Norstrom	USA	Debut

 

PROFESSIONAL OPEN MEN’S FIELD

 

NAME	COUNTRY	PERSONAL BEST
Isaia Lasoi	KEN	58:10 (Copenhagen, 2024)
Alex Nzioka Matata	KEN	59:20 (RAK, 2025)
Sam Chelanga	USA	1:00:37 (Houston, 2018)
Dennis Kitiyo	KEN	1:00:47 (Valencia, 2024)
Clayton Young	USA	1:00:52 (Houston, 2025)
Barry Keane	IRL	1:01:22 (Houston, 2025)
Yemane Haileselassie	ERI	1:01:34 (Houston, 2024)
Thomas Fafard	CAN	1:02:17 (Boston, 2024)
Santiago Catrofe	URU	1:02:20 (Valencia, 2024)
Chandler Gibbens	USA	1:02:25 (Indianapolis, 2024)
Mohamed El Ghazouany	MOR	1:02:25 (Marrakech, 2024)
Elkanah Kibet	USA	1:02:29 (Houston, 2018)
Tristan Woodfine	CAN	1:02:40 (Boston 2023)
Murphy Smith	USA	1:02:50 (Duluth, 2025)
Jacob Shiohira	USA	1:03:19 (Ageo, 2024)
Erik Linden	USA	1:04:09 (Houston, 2024)
Jonathan Phillips	USA	1:04:14 (Houston, 2020)
Brian Harvey	USA	1:04:44 (Houston , 2015)
Hector Pagan	PUR	1:04:47 (Houston, 2025)
Dylan Alick	CAN	1:05:23 (Congers, 2025)
Josh Kalapos	USA	1:05:46 (New Bedford, 2023)
Paul Arredondo	USA	1:05:49 (Wilmington, 2024)
Medhane Woldu	USA	1:06:23 (Long Beach, 2024)
Michael Durkin	USA	1:07:00 (New Bedford, 2024)
Philip White	USA	1:07:01 (Toronto, 2024)
Ryan Gallagher	USA	1:07:28 (Hartford, 2025)
Nicholas Bannon	CAN	Debut
Luke Henseler	USA	Debut
Neil Ibata	FRA	Debut
Andrea Kiptoo	KEN	Debut
Jack McMahon	USA	Debut
James Mwaura	USA	Debut
Alec Troxell	USA	Debut

 

 

PARA ATHLETICS DIVISION FIELD

 

MEN	COUNTRY	CLASSIFICATION
Thomas Cantara	USA	T20
Atsbha Gebremeskel	ETH	T45-47
Marko Cheseto	USA	T61-64
Brian Reynolds	USA	T61-64
WOMEN	COUNTRY	CLASSIFICATION
Cristina Burbach	USA	T36
Kelly Bruno	USA	T61-64

 

WHEELCHAIR DIVISION FIELD

 

MEN	COUNTRY	CLASSIFICATION
Jacob Allen	USA	T53/54
Delmace Mayo	USA	T53/54
Miguel Jimenez Vergara	USA	T53/54
Dustin Stallberg	USA	T53/54
Wyatt Willand	USA	T53/54
Aidan Gravelle	USA	T53/54
Daniel Romanchuk	USA	T53/54
Hermin Garic	USA	T53/54
WOMEN	COUNTRY	CLASSIFICATION
Chelsea Stein	USA	T53/54
Hannah Babalola	NGR	T53/54
Michelle Wheeler	USA	T53/54
Yen Hoang	USA	T53/54
Linden Williamson	USA	T53/54

 

Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion October newsletter

WELCOME We are excited to share the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion October newsletter featuring news, updates, and important information from our Cabinet. SUPPLIER DIVERSITY THIS WEEK, THE DEPARTMENT OF SUPPLIER DIVERSITY CELEBRATES SUPPLIER DIVERSITY WEEK Today marks the start of the City of Boston’s Supplier Diversity Week, taking place October 27 through October 31. Throughout Supplier Diversity Week, the Department of Supplier Diversity will host a series of free and open networking events, informational sessions, and workshops to highlight and promote diversity and inclusion within Boston’s business community. These events include: Monday, October 27: Virtual Diverse Business Certification Workshop | 6 pm - 7:15 pm Tuesday, October 28: Virtual Office of Small Business 101: Programs and Resources Workshop | 11 am - 12:15 pm Wednesday, October 29: Building Connections: A Supplier Diversity in Construction Networking Event | 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm | North Atlantic Regional Council of Carpenters Center Thursday, October 30: Small Business Networking Mixer | 6 pm - 8:30 pm | Hue Boston Friday, October 31: Procurement 101: A Virtual Guide to Bidding and Contracting with the City | 11 am - 12:30 pm LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR EVENTS SMALL BUSINESS NOMINATE A LONG STANDING BUSINESS FOR THE LEGACY BUSINESS AWARDS It is the final week of the nomination period for the fourth annual Legacy Business Awards. Residents are encouraged to nominate long standing businesses that have been located within the city of Boston for at least 10 years and contribute to the cultural, historical, and societal fabric of their community or neighborhood. To nominate a business, residents can use the online form, visit their local Boston Public Library branch for assistance filling out the form, or call the Office of Small Business at 617-635-0355 for assistance. Nominations will be accepted through Friday, October 31, 2025.  NOMINATE A LEGACY BUSINESS GLOBAL AFFAIRS   GLOBAL AFFAIRS TEAM HOSTS BOSTON INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LEADERS FOR GLOBAL BUSINESS CONNECT 2025 Last Thursday, October 23, the City of Boston’s Global Affairs team welcomed international business leaders, entrepreneurs, and members of the Consular Corps to the Civic Pavilion at Boston City Hall for Global Business Connect 2025. Global Business Connect 2025 brought together leaders from across international business sectors to share City of Boston resources for startups and international businesses, highlight upcoming global business conference opportunities, and provide space for networking with peers and the Global Affairs team. If you are interested in engaging with the Global Affairs team, email globalaffairs@boston.gov. TOURISM, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT   OPEN STREETS BOSTON MAKES DEBUT IN MATTAPAN On Saturday, October 18, Open Streets Boston launched its first event in Mattapan, transforming Blue Hill Avenue from River Street to Babson Street into a car-free pedestrian zone featuring local businesses and community organizations, vendors, and family-friendly activities.  Participating vendors included Boston Flower Co., Black Dollar, and Dorchester Food Co-op. City of Boston departments including Planning, Black Male Advancement, Immigrant Advancement, and Veteran Services also participated in the event. There is one more Open Streets event scheduled for the 2025 season! Join the City of Boston on Sunday, November 2 for Open Streets Boston - Jamaica Plain along Centre Street from 10:30 am to 3 pm.  LEARN MORE LICENSING BOARD   CITY OF BOSTON LICENSING BOARD APPROVES FOUR NEW LIQUOR LICENSE APPLICATIONS Last Thursday, October 23, the City of Boston Licensing Board approved four new liquor licenses for restaurants across Boston. The approved applicants include Bono Restaurant and Catering in East Boston, El Barrio Mexican Grill and Mondo in the South End, and The Mix Vault in Roxbury. All businesses were approved for zip code-restricted all alcohol licenses. These businesses completed the application and community process prior to May 23, qualifying them for the second round of the allocation process. The City has ramped up efforts to increase applications for the remainder of the 2025 neighborhood restricted licenses. The remaining 65 neighborhood restricted licenses will become available on January 1, 2026, allowing small business owners in communities like East Boston and the South End to access these opportunities. The deadline for consideration will be announced soon. Potential liquor license applicants are encouraged to start the process as soon as possible. The Mayor’s Office of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, the Office of Neighborhood Services, and Office of Small Business staff will continue to support potential applicants. The City of Boston Licensing Board hosts virtual office hours addressing the liquor license application process. Applicants can also make a drop-in appointment with the Boston Licensing Board at City Hall, Room 809 by contacting 617-635-4170 or emailing licensingboard@boston.gov.  LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR OFFICE HOURS   SUPPLIER DIVERSITY SMALL BUSINESS NETWORKING MIXER October 30, 2025 | Hue Boston | 6 pm - 8:30 pm Join the Department of Supplier Diversity for an evening of networking between small business owners, technical assistance providers, the City's Procurement team, and many others committed to supporting Boston's small business ecosystem. LEARN MORE AND REGISTER TOURISM, SPORTS, AND ENTERTAINMENT OPEN STREETS BOSTON: JAMAICA PLAIN November 2, 2025 | Centre Street | 10:30 am - 3:30 pm Centre Street from Lamartine Street to South Street will close to vehicular traffic to safely make space for music, games, bicycling, community tabling, and more. Shop and support Open Streets vendors and local, small businesses as they expand to the street! LEARN MORE AND REGISTER ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND INCLUSION LIFTING AS WE CLIMB: BUILDING COMMUNITY AND CAPITAL FOR UNDERREPRESENTED FOUNDERS November 6, 2025 | Civic Pavilion | 6 pm - 8 pm This panel hosted by Startup Boston and the City of Boston dives into how founders and investors are creating real change by supporting one another, sharing resources, and building networks that last. LEARN MORE AND REGISTER BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL Commentary: Celebrating the contributions of women business owners In honor of National Women's Small Business Month, City of Boston Director of Small Business Aliesha Porcena celebrates the contribution of women business owners and highlights the work of the Office of Small Business. [READ MORE] CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER Boston's Nightlife Scene Is Finally Up Past Bedtime City of Boston Director of Nightlife Economy Corean Reynolds discusses her role and the city's nightlife ecosystem in this article on positive changes happening in Boston's nightlife scene. [READ MORE] Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu and Deputy Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Donald Wright with Madhouse Motors and Madhouse Cafe owner J. Shia, Specialty Mechanic Rami, and Maintenance Mechanic Benny of Madhouse Motors. BOSTON BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: MADHOUSE MOTORS AND MADHOUSE CAFE Earlier this month, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Segun Idowu and Deputy Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Donald Wright visited Madhouse Motors and Madhouse Cafe in Roxbury. They met with the owner of both establishments, J. Shia, who is an internationally recognized and award-winning custom motorcycle builder from Boston.  Over a decade ago, Shia established Madhouse Motors, a motorcycle repair shop specializing in antique and custom machines. Since its founding, J. has emerged as one of the world’s leading motorcycle builders and designers. In 2022, Shia launched Madhouse Café next door, which offers locally roasted coffees and Lebanese-inspired pastries and dishes. The Office of Small Business has worked closely with Madhouse Motors and Madhouse Cafe over the past few years, providing exterior signage support through the ReStore program and assistance through the ReFRESH grant.  Learn more about Madhouse Motors at www.madhousemotors.com. Learn more about Madhouse Cafe at www.madhousecafe.com.   SERVICES | EVENTS | NEWS | DEPARTMENTS   Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion 1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201 econdev@boston.gov 617-635-5729