Sharon Lokedi overcame self-doubt and years of near misses to finally defeat Hellen Obiri and claim a breakthrough victory at the 2025 Boston Marathon.
Sharon Lokedi has opened up about her fears as she lined up against Hellen Obiri for the 129th edition of the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21.
Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri have competed against each other on several occasions, but it was always the latter who would take the win.
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At the 2024 edition of the Boston Marathon, Sharon Lokedi finished second behind Hellen Obiri, and she was also forced to miss the podium at the Paris Olympic Games as the two-time world 5000m champion sealed the podium behind Sifan Hassan and Tigst Assefa.
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Sharon Lokedi on how it felt running against Hellen Obiri, again
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Going into the 2025 Boston Marathon, the 2022 New York City Marathon champion revealed that she wanted to give her best shot, competing against one of the best marathoners she has ever encountered.
She admitted that there were instances where she felt a lack of confidence, with Hellen Obiri close to her, but was motivated to maintain her pace.
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Sharon Lokedi revealed that she had a hint of what to expect, but the fear crept in once in a while during the race.
“Today I was like, I’m going to give myself a chance and just go for it because you never know how it will go, and you have to keep fighting no matter the no matter the moves just keep pausing it and just keep making it, like just you know, go with it,” Sharon Lokedi shared in an interview with Letsrun.com.
“Honestly, I was like oh, maybe it's too far, you know, you have doubts, but today my doubts were a little bit less, and you know, I was more confident and just went with it, so yeah.”
Sharon Lokedi on how it felt beating Hellen Obiri
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Sharon Lokedi had always been coming second or third to Hellen Obiri, and for once, she was excited to have gotten the win.
The only other time Lokedi shone, competing against Hellen Obiri, was at the 2022 New York City Marathon, where she claimed top honours as Obiri settled for sixth place.
“The feeling was so good, you know, just like even look, I like it by the time and they're telling me go this or go this, I was like, oh, and then just. Yeah, I crossed the finish line and my mom was there, and my coach,” she revealed.
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Sharon Lokedi also pointed out that nothing major changed in training, which included the long runs. She revealed that weather changes were a bit of an inconvenience, but she managed to push through the challenges.
“We just did, I mean, apart from like weather sometimes we just stayed with like the things that we usually do, nothing crazy, get the mileage in and good workouts, good long runs and maybe tempos like long workout tempos,” Sharon Lokedi revealed.
For Sharon Lokedi, the 2025 Boston Marathon was a moment of personal redemption and proof of growth after years of chasing Hellen Obiri.
She managed to battle her own doubts and found the confidence to trust her training and claimed the victory.