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Elite marathon runner Albert Korir received a ban from the sport for 5 years following 3 failed PED tests. The 32-year-old runner from Kenya finished runner-up at the 2019 New York Marathon and then won it all in 2021.
Following the three failed PED tests, all of his results dating back to last October (2025) will be invalidated. That includes a 3rd place finish at the 2025 New York Marathon.
Marathoner Albert Korir Receives Ban For PEDs
Korir received the 5-year ban after testing positive in three tests for a blood-boosting substance named CERA (Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator) which is a more modernized version of EPO. The drug tests he failed were all samples taken while he was in Kenya training for the 2025 NYC Marathon last Fall.
When Albert Korir won the 2021 New York Marathon he ran with an average pace of 4:54 for a final marathon time of 2:08:22. He finished 44 seconds ahead of Mohamed El Araby in 2nd place.
Prior to his 3rd place finish in the 2025 New York Marathon, Korir won the Ottawa Race Weekend Marathon with a time of 2:08:22.
3rd place at the 2025 New York Marathon paid out $40,000. His result has since been invalidated.
After being confronted with the failed PED tests, Korir is reported to have admitted to doping which led to a 1-year reduction in his ban from the sport (from 6 years to 5). He will next be eligible to race in January 2031 when he will be nearly 37 years old.
Doping has no place in sports. It is sad to see someone with such an incredible career at the elite marathon level cast out of the sport for PEDs.