Sharon Lokedi: From village runs to marathon champion

Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi has now competed in just five marathons—but she’s already a name to reckon with.

On Monday, the 2022 New York City Marathon champion added another feather to her cap, winning the 2025 Boston Marathon in the United States in a course record time of 2:17:22.

Hailing from Olaare Village in Burnt Forest, Uasin Gishu County, Lokedi’s early life involved running long distances—not in races, but in daily routines.

“The furthest from school,” as she puts it, she and her siblings would run home for lunch and back, unknowingly preparing her for a future in distance running.

Read: Marathoner Edna Kiplagat: Here is my secret to longevity in athletics

By Standard Seven, she was already competing in cross country events at Olaare Primary School. In the early 1990s, local legend David Kibet had put their village on the athletics map with his prowess in the 1,500m.

Inspired by him, local parents would often tell their children to emulate Kibet—a message that clearly resonated with Lokedi.

Later, she joined Kapkenda Girls High School, where she excelled in the 3,000m and 5,000m races, earning the title of Best Athlete of the Year in 2013.

Her talent earned her a place at the University of Kansas, where she studied supply chain and logistics and graduated in 2019.

In college, she joined Under Armour’s running team and has remained with the company since. Her breakthrough came in 2018, when she won the 10,000m race at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in a time of 32:09.94.

Read: London Marathon set to break record for biggest field

Now based in Flagstaff, Arizona, Lokedi shared with Nation Sport her strategy and emotions after clinching victory in Boston.

What specific strategies did you and your coach develop in preparation for the race and how did you adapt during competition?

We just focused on confidence and finding the gear to stay with it even when it’s getting tough and that is why you saw me hanging on even after the Ethiopians tried to surge forward. We were just behind them and it worked well for me.

Boston has a notoriously tough course. How did you approach the hills, and did last year's race prepare you for the win?

I just stayed patient and worked on one at a time. I honestly had no idea where most of the hills were and had totally forgotten, but the preparations I had done sharpened me, and by the end of it I had good finishing power to win.

You faced a strong field. How did you mentally prepare to stay confident amidst such competition?

I just stayed focused and made sure I was aware of when the moves were made, and just closed in and stayed with it to the end. At the last kilometre, it was easier for me to lead and I managed to beat a strong competitive field.

Your mother was at the finish line. What did her presence mean to you, and how did it impact your performance?

It really meant so much to me. She’s my inspiration and has always been there for me. In those last kilometres, I was just thinking how nervous she must be, waiting to see how I would perform after 42km.

What did she tell you before the race and what did you talk about afterwards?

She was the one who actually woke me up on race day and she was more nervous than I was. She told me to trust myself, that my whole family was watching and praying for me—and that gave me the confidence to go for the prize.

How has your mother supported your running journey over the years, and was this something you dreamt of sharing with her?

Yes, I’ve always wanted her to be part of my success and I’m so glad she was here to share this one with me. Finishing the race and having her be the first person I hugged was one of the best things to happen in my life.

You trained in Flagstaff, Arizona while preparing. What’s the difference between training in the US and in Kenya?

Training is the same, probably just the terrain and weather are different—and maybe the big training groups we have back at home. It’s just the same and that’s why I chose to train here with my team.