Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, making her marathon debut in New York, raced like a veteran. She showed patience and grit, and it paid off with a narrow victory over two of the prerace favorites.
Lokedi, 28, was one of nine women in the lead pack up First Avenue. But when Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia, the reigning world champion, made a strong move at about 16 and a half miles, Lokedi didn’t bite.
Two others did, but Lokedi and Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, who was born in Kenya and is now an Israeli citizen, hung slightly back. By mile 18 they were 11 seconds off the lead.
That moment of restraint paid dividends later.
By mile 20, Lokedi and Salpeter were only four seconds behind the the leaders, and a mile later they were all together again. As they entered Central Park, the pack was down to three—Gebreslase, Lokedi, and Salpeter.
Anyone could be forgiven for thinking the more experienced runners would prevail. After all, Salpeter ran 2:17:45 to win the Tokyo Marathon in 2020, and Gebreslase ran 2:18:11 this summer to win Worlds in Eugene, Oregon.
But Lokedi had one final surprise in her, pulling away from Salpeter in the final mile and winning in 2:23:23, securing the upset. Salpeter was second in 2:23:30, and Gebreslase was third in 2:23:39.
“I wanted to be in the race,” Lokedi said. “I know I was strong. I had really good training. I wanted to put myself in it and race and see where I end up. Halfway through I felt really good. I had really good help from Salpeter. I didn’t expect to win. I’m really excited for today.”
Race day was hot, with temperatures reaching 72 at the finish line, making it the warmest race since 1985, when the race was held in October. The humidity was also high—79 percent. But overcast skies and a breeze kept the conditions manageable for the top athletes.
The race went out conservatively—the leaders split 1:12:17 for the half marathon. Lokedi ran the second half in 1:11:06.
Here’s a full breakdown of the 2022 New York women’s race.
The Winner: Sharon Lokedi
Lokedi is well known in American distance running. She won an NCAA title in the 10,000 meters in 2018 for the University of Kansas and she trains in Flagstaff, Arizona, with Dark Sky Distance, a group sponsored by Under Armour. She is engaged to Kenyan runner Edward Cheserek, who won 17 NCAA titles at the University of Oregon.
This summer, Lokedi returned home to Kenya to train for her first marathon. It was slightly warmer than it was in Flagstaff, and she did a lot of training at altitude. Her coach, Stephen Haas, said she spent 12 weeks in Kenya, and he went over to watch her three weeks ago. He saw her nailing her long runs and knew she was in great shape.
For this buildup, Haas said, Lokedi ran between 100 and 120 miles per week.
This morning, before the race, Haas told her to put herself in the race and be confident in her instincts. “That’s exactly what it was,” he said. “She felt like that [move at 16 miles] might have been a bit early and a bit too hard, and they were able to work their way back in. Awesome for her to have those race smarts.”
When Haas went to Kenya, he got an idea of what Lokedi’s running has done for her family. She has built her mother a house, helped her family buy cattle, and contributed to a high school for girls.
“Honestly, it brought me to tears at the finish to see her do it,” he said, calling it a “life-changer.” For her win today, Lokedi earns $100,000, in addition to any appearance fees she got for the race.
Haas is also her agent, and it is a bit unusual in pro running to have one person serve as both coach and agent. Typically, agents earn 15 percent of athletes’ prize money, appearance fees, and sponsorship payments.
Where the Race Was Won
Lokedi kept herself in position to win the race first by what she didn’t do. She didn’t go with the break at 16 miles. And then over the final miles, no one else was stronger.
Lokedi’s fastest 5K split of the day, 16:35, came between 30 and 35 kilometers. And from 40K to the finish, about 1.3 miles, Lokedi ran 7:16. The only people to run that stretch of road faster were the top two male finishers, Evans Chebet of Kenya and Shura Kitata of Ethiopia.
How the Americans Did
Aliphine Tuliamuk was the top American finisher in seventh in 2:26:18, a personal best.
The 33-year-old was thrilled to be in the top 10, after an injury in September slowed her training. She had an edema on one of the bones in her ankle, and had to miss two and a half weeks of running.
“It’s been awhile since I finished a marathon, the last time I finished a marathon was 2020,” she said. “And so I was kind of scared I wasn’t going to be able to run New York today. I’m really grateful I was able to get to the line healthy.”
Her training only really kicked into gear with five weeks to go until race day, her coach, Ben Rosario, said.
She then had an 11-day stretch where she had three big sessions with a total of 34 miles of work at marathon effort or faster.
“I knew she was ready to run pretty darn well,” he said. “It was the fastest she’s ever run, so it’s fantastic.”
She lowered her PR by 32 seconds, to 2:26:18. She takes home $32,500 for her performance today, $25,000 for being the top American and $7,500 for finishing seventh.
The Top 10
- Sharon Lokedi, Kenya, 2:23:23
2. Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, Israel, 2:23:30
3. Gotytom Gebreslase, Ethiopia, 2:23:39
4. Edna Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:24:16
5. Viola Cheptoo, Kenya, 2:25:34
6. Hellen Obiri, Kenya, 2:25:49
7. Aliphine Tuliamuk, U.S., 2:26:18
8. Emma Bates, U.S., 2:26:53
9. Jessica Stenson, Australia, 2:27:27
10. Nell Rojas, U.S., 2:28:32
The Prize Money
- 1st place: $100,000
- 2nd place: $60,000
- 3rd place: $40,000
- 4th place: $25,000
- 5th place: $15,000
- 6th place: $10,000
- 7th place: $7,500
- 8th place: $5,000
- 9th place: $2,500
- 10th place: $2,000
Americans:
- 1st place: Aliphine Tuliamuk, $25,000
- 2nd place: Emma Bates, $15,000
- 3rd place: Nell Rojas, $10,000
- 4th place: Lindsay Flanagan, $5,000
- 5th plae: Stephanie Bruce, $3,000
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
