Yardbarker
x
Sharon Lokedi Wins 2026 Boston Marathon: Former KU Star Repeats as Champion

Former Kansas track and field star Sharon Lokedi cemented herself as arguably the greatest long-distance runner in the world on Monday as she won the 2026 Boston Marathon with a final time of 2:18:51.

It was the second fastest women’s finish in course history behind her own course record of 2:17:22 set during her 2025 win, and it marked the first time that a woman has won the race in back-to-back years since Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) did it in 2004 and 2005.

It was a dominant performance by 32-year-old Lokedi as she finished the final three miles alone in first place. The next closest runner to her this year was Loice Chemnung (Kenya), who finished second with a final time of 2:19:35. Mary Ngugi-Cooper (Kenya) finished third with 2:20:07.

This year’s win gives Lokedi her third World Marathon major along with the 2025 Boston Marathon win and her 2022 victory in the New York City Marathon. And it’s the first time that a woman has won the Boston Marathon in back-to-back years in more than a decade.

"I just kept telling myself 'be patient, be humble, you've got this, you can do it'" Lokedi said after the race. "There was a little girl out there that yelled to us 'you've got this ladies' and that was what I needed. It gave me so much to look forward to and helped me run as fast as I could to get [to the finish]. Thank you to everyone that came out here and cheered us on, it really helped us and was a huge joy."

Lokedi shared championship honors with her fellow Kenyan John Korir, who incredibly won the men’s race with a new men’s course record of 2:01:52. Both runners and other representatives of Kenya got a shoutout from Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto, PhD, following the wins.

“We celebrate Team Kenya for an exceptional performance at the Boston Marathon this evening,” Ruto posted on X. “Congratulations Sharon Lokedi for successfully defending your title. Together with Loice Chemnung, Mary Ngugi-Cooper, and Mercy Chelangat, you delivered an extraordinary 1-2-3-4 finish that has made our country proud. We also salute John Korir for storming to victory with a historic run, breaking the 15-year course record.”

Sharon Lokedi earned $150,000 in prize money for her first-place finish.

Lokedi as a Jayhawk

Lokedi is one of the most decorated athletes in KU Athletics history.

During her four years in Lawrence (2015-2019) competing for both the cross country and track and field teams, she won just about every award possible and set five school records along the way – all of which still stand today.

Some of her accolades include Big 12 Cross Country champion (2016, 2017), First Team All-American, and women’s outdoor national champion (2018). She also won

She’s a future Kansas Athletics Hall of Famer who will forever be remembered as one of the greatest athletes in school history. And after this week, she may be remembered as one of the greatest global track stars in history as well.


This article first appeared on Kansas Jayhawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA.