Sharon Lokedi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sharon Lokedi

Lokedi winning the 10,000 m at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Personal information
Nationality	Kenyan
Born	(1994-03-10) March 10, 1994 (age 31) Burnt Forest, Kenya
Employer	Under Armour
Height	5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m)
Sport
Country	Kenya
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Middle-, long-distance running; Cross country
College team	Kansas
Club	Dark Sky Distance
Coached by	Stephen Haas
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Kenya World Marathon Majors Gold 2022 New York Marathon Silver 2024 Boston Marathon Bronze 2023 New York Marathon Gold 2025 Boston Marathon

Sharon Lokedi (born March 10, 1994) is a super fast runner from Kenya. She runs both middle and long distances. Sharon won the 10,000 meters race at the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She was named an "All-American" 10 times and won 12 "Big 12" championships by March 2019. In 2022, she ran her very first marathon race and won the famous New York City Marathon!

Sharon went to the University of Kansas (KU) to study nursing and business. She started competing in college track and cross country races in 2015.

Sharon's Early Life

Sharon Lokedi is the daughter of Jonathan and Rose Lokedi. She has three younger brothers and sisters.

High School Achievements

At Kapkenda Girls’ School, Sharon was a star athlete. She earned four "letters" in track, which means she was a top performer. She still holds the school records for the 3000-meter and 5000-meter races. In 2013, her school named her "Best Athlete of the Year."

Running for the University of Kansas

Sharon joined the University of Kansas (KU) in 2015. She quickly became a top runner for her college team.

Freshman Year (2015)

In her first college race, Sharon finished sixth in the 3000-meter event. She kept getting better, setting a personal best time of 9:48.10 in the 3000m at the Big 12 Championship. This made her one of the top 8 runners in KU history for that event.

Sharon was the lead runner for her team in all five races she ran in 2015. She became the second "All-American" runner in KU history. This happened when she finished 10th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Sophomore Year (2016)

In 2016, Sharon continued to shine. She finished sixth in the 5000-meter race at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She also won the Big 12 Indoor Championship for the 3000-meter race.

Outdoors, she placed sixth in the 10,000-meter race at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She won the 10,000-meter race at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship. Sharon also set a new personal record at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing fifth.

Junior Year (2017)

Sharon took a break from indoor racing in 2017 for health reasons. But she came back strong for outdoor events. She finished third in the 10,000-meter race at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championship. This earned her "All-America" honors again.

She set a new Kansas school record in the 10,000-meter race with a time of 32:46.10. Sharon also won Big 12 titles in both the 10,000 and 5,000 meters. She even broke her own school record in the 5000-meter run later that year.

Sharon was named the Big 12 Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year for the second year in a row. She was only the fourth female in Big 12 history to win multiple individual conference titles.

Senior Year (2018)

In 2018, Sharon kept breaking records. She set a new KU school record in the indoor 5000-meter race. She also set a personal best in the mile run. Sharon became the school record holder in the 3,000-meter run.

She won both the 5000-meter and 3000-meter titles at the Big 12 Indoor Championship. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, she finished third in the 5000-meter and sixth in the 3000-meter. This earned her two "First Team All-America" awards.

At the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Sharon had an amazing finish in the 10,000-meter race. On the last lap, she sped past the favorite runner, Karissa Schweizer. Sharon won the race with a time of 32:09.20. This was 18 seconds faster than the old meet record set 30 years earlier!

In December 2018, Sharon ran the 5000-meter race in 15:15.47. This was the sixth best time in NCAA history on a 200-meter track. It also set a new indoor school record. At the 2019 Big 12 indoor track and field championship, Sharon won both the 5000-meter and 3000-meter races.

Sharon's Professional Running Career

After college, Sharon became a professional runner.

Sharon Lokedi in the 2025 Boston Marathon, which she won

First Pro Race

In her very first professional race, Sharon easily won the Carlsbad 5K with a time of 15:38. Her boyfriend, Edward Cheserek, also did great, tying a world record in the men's race!

Winning the New York City Marathon

In November 2022, Sharon surprised everyone. In her first-ever marathon race, she won the New York City Marathon! She finished just seven seconds ahead of the next runner with a time of 2:23:23.

Winning the Boston Marathon

In April 2025, Sharon Lokedi won the famous 2025 Boston Marathon. She set a new record for women on that course with an amazing time of 2:17:22.

Sharon's Best Running Times

Here are Sharon Lokedi's personal best times for different races:

• 3000 meters – 9:14.18 (Chandler, AZ 2021)
• 5000 meters – 15:18.03 (Los Angeles, CA 2020)
• 10,000 meters – 31:11.07 (San Juan Capistrano, CA 2020)
• 5 kilometres – 15:16 (Boston, MA 2022)
• 10 kilometres – 31:06 (Manchester 2022)
• Half marathon – 1:08:14 (New York, NY 2022)
• Marathon – 2:17:22 (Boston, MA 2025)

See also

In Spanish: Sharon Lokedi para niños