In an electrifying performance, Kenyan runner John Korir claimed victory at the 2025 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:04:45, overcoming an early stumble at the start line to surge ahead in the final miles. His win marks not only a personal triumph, but also a historic milestone—John and his brother, Wesley Korir, are now the first siblings to have both won the prestigious race.
But for the Korir family, the Boston Marathon has always represented more than just athletic achievement. Like Wesley before him, John plans to use his win as a platform to give back. He has pledged a portion of his winnings to the Transcend Talent Academy, a high-performance training and education center in Kenya dedicated to helping young athletes rise from poverty through sport and education.
Transcend is a project deeply rooted in family and partnership. The school was co-founded in 2022 by Wesley Korir and Winston-Salem local business owners Emily and Keith Davis, who share a vision for ending generational poverty in Kenya. The Davises, owners of Fleet Feet Winston-Salem and Clemmons, joined forces with Wesley to build the school in western Kenya with the goal of giving gifted but under-resourced youth access to elite training, mentorship, and academic opportunity.
“Talent is universal,” said Keith Davis in a recent interview, “but opportunity is not. Our mission with Transcend is to change that—to give these young athletes not just a shot at the finish line, but a shot at a better life.”
Now, in 2025, the Davises are expanding that mission with the launch of Bingwa Coffee, a premium coffee brand sourced directly from Kenyan farms. Named after the Swahili word for “champion,” Bingwa Coffee is more than a business—it’s a social enterprise designed to create lasting impact in the same communities that Transcend serves.
By working directly with local growers and reinvesting profits into education, training, and infrastructure, Bingwa Coffee aims to support sustainable agriculture and provide dignified, reliable income to farmers. It’s all part of the broader Davis-Korir vision: to dismantle the cycles of poverty through opportunity and empowerment.
“Bingwa is about excellence—from seed to cup,” said Emily Davis. “But it’s also about equity. When you drink Bingwa Coffee, you’re part of a bigger story—one where champions are raised, not just discovered.”
This year’s Boston Marathon was more than a race. It was a moment that united athletic excellence with a deeper commitment to human potential—and a powerful reminder that champions don’t just cross finish lines. They build futures.
Bingwa Coffee launches in October 2025 and will be sold locally at Fleet Feet Winston-Salem. Emily and Keith will be seeking distribution in running stores nationwide.
