At the 2026 Boston Marathon, Kenyan runner John Korir produced an epic performance. Under normal circumstances, his finishing time of 2:01:52 would rank among the top five performances of all time. American runner Zouhair Talbi finished fifth in 2:03:45 and recorded the fastest marathon ever by a U.S. citizen "under these conditions", but it cannot be recognized as the U.S. men's marathon record. However, performances on the Boston Marathon course are not eligible for inclusion in World Athletics' ranking system and will never be ratified as world records — including national records or any other official records. This is mainly due to two factors: Start and finish are too far apart, making the course susceptible to tailwinds; The elevation drop is too large, which can also aid performances. That is why times achieved at the Boston Marathon can only count as personal bests, area bests, or world-leading times, but cannot be recognized as "records". #TrailRunningBigBang #BostonMarathon #WorldRecords #Marathon #Running #WorldAthletics #