Careful at Heartbreak Hill — that’s what you’re likely to be told if you ask an experienced international marathoner, especially an American. That’s what happened to me when I told Donald Bloome, the former United States Ambassador to Pakistan, that I was going to run the Boston Marathon in 2023.
Is it really about Heartbreak Hill? Well, it is to a great extent, because it can break many runners.
When you finish the marathon, you don’t see a big banner of triumph felicitating you. But when you finish your gruesome ascent of Heartbreak Hill, you see a large banner saying, “Congratulations on Summiting Heartbreak Hill.” It’s the last of the four Newton Hills between the 32–34-kilometre mark of the Boston course.
A marathon so tough that it tested world record holder Eliud Kipchoge’s abilities in 2023, when he finished 6th — a runner who had lost only two of his 17 career marathons prior to the 128th Boston Marathon. Since 1970 for men and 1972 for women, Boston has been the only qualifying marathon in the world.
Qualifiers who were six minutes and 51 seconds (6:51) or faster than the qualifying time for their age group and gender have been accepted into the 129th Boston Marathon.
A total of 24,069 qualified applicants have been accepted, which establishes the fact that it is primarily a qualifying race, as more than 80% of entries are for runners with time qualification, famously referred to in the running world as “BQ”. It is considered a great honour in athletics to qualify for Boston.
The Boston Marathon is famous for countless reasons — for its history, its hills, and for Clarence DeMar, who was told by doctors to quit running due to his heart health. Not only did he continue running, but he also won the mighty Boston Marathon seven times between 1910 and 1930.
It’s famous for Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run this marathon in 1967. Switzer was assaulted by a race official who tried to grab her bib number and remove her from the official competition. He was shoved to the ground by Switzer’s partner, Thomas Miller, who was running with her, and she completed the race.
As a result of her run, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) banned women from competing in races against men. It was in 1972 that the Boston Marathon established an official women’s race. Katherine Switzer later won in New York in 1974 with a time of 3:07:29. She ran the Boston Marathon for the last time in 2017 at the age of 70.
Where do Pakistanis stand in the mighty marathon?
Where do Pakistanis stand in this tough marathon, in which the course record for men — 2:03:02 by Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya — has not been broken since 2011, and for women — 2:19:59 by Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia — since 2014?
Until a few years ago, Pakistanis were nowhere in the Boston Marathon. But now, Pakistani runners are making their mark in this prestigious event, with growing numbers each year.
Overseas Pakistanis took the lead, as it’s a domestic race for them — 3 out of the 7 World Majors are in the United States. This year, the number is the biggest so far: 18 Pakistanis are participating, including 14 time-qualifiers, and 11 of them were accepted into the 129th Boston Marathon under the tough cut-off time.
The Pakistani lineup this year for Patriots’ Day, Monday 21st April 2025, includes some fresh talent. Amin Mukaty, the youngest Pakistani to qualify, did so with his Berlin Marathon (2023) time of 2:46:43. He also ran Chicago in October 2024 in 2:44.
Abdul Rehman from Karachi also qualified with his Berlin time of 2:50:10. Among them are four women runners, including Sara Lodhi, based in the United Arab Emirates, who qualified with her Berlin (2023) time of 3:17:41.
Hira Diwan, a Pakistani-British banker, qualified with her time of 3:30:10. Hira is also among six Pakistanis who are going to become Abbott Six Star Finishers in Boston, alongside Nizar Nayani, Jamal Khan, Adnan Gandhi, Yusra Bokhari, and Danish Elahi — only three of them are registered as Pakistanis.
Currently, there are eight Pakistani Six Star Finishers in the Abbott Hall of Fame, and 10 Five Star Finishers waiting to run their final sixth World Major. Adnan Gandhi (Ironman 70.3 Dubai and Muscat), who ran his first World Major in Chicago (2000) with a time of 3:21:13, qualified for the Boston Marathon with his personal best in Tokyo: 3:13:42.
At least three runners who ran a Boston Athletic Association qualifying time were not accepted to the race due to the faster cut-off times.
Danish Elahi from Karachi, who was the fastest among the Pakistani runners’ group at the New York Marathon 2024, is set to run the Boston Marathon in shalwar kameez for a Guinness World Record, alongside Faisal Shafi, who is already a Six Star Finisher (2024). Faisal represented Pakistan in the Abbott Age Group Championship at the Chicago Marathon (2023).
US-based Pakistani nephrologist Dr Salman Khan (Ironman 140.6 Mexico 2021), who is running Boston for the 5th time, is among the two Six Star Finishers in this lineup. Dr Salman was declared the first Pakistani Six Star Finisher when he crossed the finish line in Tokyo (2023) at 3:11:01.
In that race, Hamid Butt, 64, from Lahore, also became a Six Star Finisher, and is now set to get his second Six Star medal in London next week. Aisha Qamar, a US-based runner of Pakistani origin, also received her Six Star medal in Tokyo (2023) with a time of 3:03:37. Prem Kumar, a Quetta-born Pakistani-US runner, received his Six Star medal in the London Marathon 2023.
Sadiq Shah, who was the fastest Pakistani runner in the London Marathon (2023), has been on a streak of sub-3-hour World Marathon Majors. He qualified for Boston a second time with his Berlin Marathon time of 2:52:16. He ran his first Boston last year in 2:57:05.
Nizar Nayani, 42, a Pakistani-US runner based in Texas, led the Pakistani groups in Chicago (2023) and in Tokyo (2024), where he finished in 2:54. Ayaz Abdullah from Karachi, a long jump athlete in his school days, qualified for Boston in his first World Marathon Major in Berlin (2023).
Salman Ilyas, a Pakistani-US mechanical engineer, qualified for Boston with a time of 2:57, and later ran the California International Marathon (2024) in 2:55.
Aamar Butt, 59, a UET Taxila graduate based in New Jersey, is running Boston for the fourth time, having qualified this time with the Revel Mountain Marathon (2024) in 3:27. Aamar Butt summited Broad Peak — the world’s 12th highest peak at 8,051 metres — in August 2024.
Jamal Khan, a Pakistani-US banker in New Jersey, originally from Islamabad, finished his 5th World Marathon Major in Tokyo last month, and is now going for his 6th star in Boston.
Ravia Bokhari is running with her sister Yusra Bokhari, who is going to get her Six Star medal. Qamar Zia, committed to a transformative weight loss journey through marathons, is aiming for three marathons in 2025, starting with the Boston Marathon.
In 1989, the Boston Marathon Charity Programme was introduced. More than 5,000 runners enter the Boston Marathon through prestigious charity programmes.
In 2024, the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Programme reached a new record fundraising level of $45.7 million. The total philanthropic impact of last year’s race was $71.9 million. Since the Official Charity Programme’s inception in 1989, more than $550 million has been raised surrounding the Boston Marathon.
In 2023, the South Asian Circle of Hopkinton, based in the city where the marathon starts, became the most diverse non-profit body to get entry into the Boston Marathon. Jang Group, Geo TV, and the Pakistani community in Massachusetts played a major role in that, especially former advisor to the US President, Shahid Ahmed Khan.
In the elite lineup of the 129th Boston Marathon women’s field, Hellen Obiri of Kenya will return to the Boston Marathon in April and attempt to win for the third time in a row. In the race’s history, only four other women — Bobbi Gibb, Sara Mae Berman, Uta Pippig, and Fatuma Roba — have won three times in a row.
In the men’s field, Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia, the defending men’s champion, is also returning to Boston. He is the fourth-fastest man in history. He won with a time of 2:06:17 last year. His challengers in the 2025 race will include Evans Chebet of Kenya, who has won the race twice (2022 and 2023), and John Korir of Kenya, who won the 2024 Chicago Marathon in a fast 2:02:44 and is also coming back to race in Boston.
The Boston Marathon, one of the oldest and most prestigious marathons in the world, attracts runners from all corners of the globe. It’s a celebration of sports, triumph, gender equality, diversity, and welfare. It’s known for its challenging course and the fervent support of spectators lining up outside their homes and along the streets of Boston. Participation in this iconic event is a testament to the determination and athletic prowess of runners.
The global marathon season starts with the Tokyo Marathon in March. For Pakistanis, it started with the Karachi Marathon in January this year, which was broadcast live on Geo Super for the second year in a row.
The Karachi Marathon, being the first and only internationally certified marathon, provided a platform for Pakistani runners in their home country to run a qualifying time for global races.
In April, Pakistanis also competed in the Antalya Marathon, the Vienna Marathon, and the Paris Marathon last Sunday. The London Marathon 2025, scheduled for Sunday, April 27th, is expected to become the world’s largest marathon by the number of participants. More than 30 Pakistanis are participating in the London Marathon 2025.
The growing representation of Pakistanis at international events can have a long-lasting impact on the positive image of Pakistan and help create new opportunities for Pakistani athletes by building trust in the country’s raw, untapped athletic talent.
