Kenya’s very own long-distance runner is dominating the marathon scene one race at a time. A two-time Boston Marathon winner and New York City Marathon champion, Sharon Lokedi shares how she came to love running, how she centers herself, and what it truly takes to clinch a victory.

TOGETHXR: This will be your first time racing in Chicago — how different is it to prepare to race somewhere that you've never raced as opposed to places that you’re familiar with like Boston and New York? 

Sharon Lokedi (SL): Most of the races I've done are hard courses. I've never really been in a race where it's fast, and you have people pacing you. I honestly think it's been eye-opening. I always did things to build my endurance because I wanted to be strong. I did a lot of hills. But this one, I didn't really need to [train] a lot of hills. It's been challenging, but in a good way. I found another gear in myself that I didn't know I had.

TOGETHXR: As you mentioned, this race is known for being one of the fastest and flattest courses on the marathon circuit. When you're on the start line, is your mindset different than usual, because you're not having to think about planning for hills? 

SL: It feels a bit easier because I know I have someone that's going to [pace] me all the way. You still have to be present. You still have to make sure that you're focused, you're locked in, you're mentally there. Marathons are a long way to go. It's 26.2 miles. So you have to be in a place where you can go whenever the pace changes or something happens. Just not getting too excited because, as you said, it's flat; it's fast. So I feel like this one, since it's something new, I'm gonna be as competitive as I usually am, but I'm also going to be more alert than I usually am. 

TOGETHXR: When the race is about to start, what's going through your mind? Are you doing breathwork? Are you doing any self-talk? Do you have any strategies that help you really lock in? 

SL: Most of the time, I'm nervous. I'm just looking at what everyone else is doing. You've trained for this. So everybody's fit. It depends on how you tackle it. I'm always telling myself, ‘You've done this before. You can do it again. It's just another race. It's completely different. But hey, you can do it.’ I do a lot more self-talk than anything. Then I try to be present and have fun. 

TOGETHXR: Are you superstitious? Do you have the same routine on every race day, or do you go with the flow?

SL: I'm just more free than anything. Whatever I feel that morning, I just go for it. I feel like I'm more free-spirited sometimes, and then sometimes I'm more like, ‘I want to do the things that I've always done.’ I try to keep it simple, not overcomplicate things, and remember: it's a race—it'll be easy if I do the things I've always done. Also, when I'm training, I try different things I think I can use. I do those during my preparation and get rest in the morning.

TOGETHXR: Do you remember the first time that you realized you could do this at a competitive level? Was there a specific time when you realized it, or did it evolve over time into bigger, more competitive races?

SL: I started running later. I was in 7th or 8th grade. I ran for a little bit. I went to high school, and I just wanted to have a good time in high school. I didn’t really want to do all this stuff. Then I stopped for a little bit.

I came back to running because I wanted the opportunity to come to the U.S. Then I came here for college, and I feel like I got better every year. I really didn’t even think it would be something more because, even in my junior year of college, I wanted to be done. I was like, ‘If I finish, I’ll do something else after that and just go home and get a 9-to-5 job.’ That year, my junior year, I won a national title. I ran a time that I didn’t expect, and I think that opened things up. From there on, I was like, ‘Oh, this can really be something that I can build from and do.’

After that, I got a bit more serious. I graduated, moved to Flagstaff, and started building from there. Honestly, it wasn't easy, and I almost was like, ‘Look, I don’t think I can do this anymore.’

It’s crazy: when you’re about to give up, that’s when things change. It’s like you really want to stop, but that’s when things start getting better. I think my breakout year was 2022. To be honest, I feel like from then on, it’s been a building process. I’m getting better and trying to figure out how fast I can go.

Even now, we’re going to Chicago, just trying to figure out how fast I can run. I never, ever thought I would be in this position, but it’s been a building process—believing in myself, working on it, and hoping everything goes well.

TOGETHXR: We know this is your first time competing in Chicago, but have you ever been to Chicago itself before? Is there anything that you're looking forward to seeing in the city, or are you solely focused on business right now?

SL: I’ve only passed by. In college, when we used to go to Notre Dame, that’s where we used to go by, but it’s not like we would go to the airport, get into the rental car, and go straight to the city. We never really did that. I’ve never really been in the city. I think we’ve only gone once, but we only went to The Bean and took a picture. That’s the only thing I remember. But it’s been a long time.

As you said, it’s more business, but I’m really hoping I can see the city and experience it. I hear it’s a good city for good food, and I love good food, so I’m really excited for that.

Hopefully we have time after the race to do some things. I feel like most of the time when you go to a race, you think you have time to do things, but you get there, and you just want to focus. You finish racing, you want to get out of there.

TOGETHXR: You said that you were considering being done after your junior year and going to a regular job. Was your field of study what you thought your 9-to-5 would be if you had gone that route?

SL: I did supply chain logistics, but a year later, things had already changed. It’s crazy how a year can change everything. I thought I'd have to start again because I’d been in college for a few years, so I had to start fresh. Getting an internship and all that stuff was something I wasn't ready to do. 

TOGETHXR: Typically, at a marathon, there are lots of signs and cheering from the crowd. Do you read the signs? Are you clocking what's happening around you, or is it more like tunnel vision? 

SL: When I’m racing, I can really only hear. I hear the cheers and all that stuff. Unless the sign is in front of you or there’s something you can see a little bit, then you can read it. Most of the time, you’re focused on the next person or someone that you’re close to.

I think it’s more like what people are saying—the names, the cheers, and all that. That’s mostly what carries us through the race.

TOGETHXR: What is the hardest bonk you’ve had in a session, and how did you kind of overcome that? 

SL: It’s mostly when I’m at my highest mileage, because that’s usually the second month of my buildup. I usually train for three months. First, I start building up, and then the second month is when things get a bit more serious.

During the second month, I’m doing maybe 200 kilometers of mileage a week, and I have workouts. For me, I work out every other day. So you can imagine, coming from a track workout, you have one day in between, and then you have a long run. You have to get all this mileage every day.

I feel like there have been days that I’ve asked myself, ‘Why did I even do this?’ The one thing that helps me is that this is what is building me. This is what is helping me to win that race. This is what is helping me get to that start line and to that finish line. I think, during that very difficult buildup, when my mileage is high, I start to get fatigued, and everything feels painful—every muscle aches.

I have to remind myself that I could go either way. I can get really fit, or I can get better as I go. At the end of that block, I know that I can get through this. I can get better from this and build from there.

TOGETHXR: What are your go-to strategies if you're in a race and you feel yourself hitting that wall? Do you eat gels or anything to keep your energy up?

SL: You have your water every five kilometers, so whether it’s water or it’s whatever [drink] mix you have, you just give it [to someone], and you hope it goes well. 

Sometimes you have it in your pocket, but we try not to because you want to stay as light as possible and not carry a lot of stuff. I’m talking to myself until I get to the next water station, because it can be very difficult if you don’t have anything with you. 

I feel like that’s when your mental side kicks in. You have to keep fighting because it’s very easy to drop off or slow down then.

Sometimes it goes away, but sometimes it doesn’t for a long time. It’s a time when you get to talk to yourself. You dig deep to find that extra energy and strength.

TOGETHXR: What advice would you give to someone who is training for their first marathon? 

SL:  Believe in yourself. Just have fun. It’s all about having fun and getting the experience. Trust me, once you run that one marathon, be prepared for five more. It gets you. It's a love-and-hate relationship, and I feel like once you get to it, you start to enjoy it.

Even for me, I am going to race. It’s all about having fun, being present, enjoying your surroundings and the experience. The cheers and all that mean so much.

RAPID FIRE

Your number one recommendation right now: I’m doing this meditation coloring book. It’s a game changer. I feel like it’s helped me, and I feel like it could help someone else. Your brain gets lost—you’re drawing, you’re doing whatever it is that you find. I think that helps me.

Shout out any woman in sports who is killing the game: I would say, Lindsey Vonn. Her fighting spirit, her competitiveness—she’s just resilient. She’s someone that I look up to, and I want to be like her. She never gives up. She falls down, she gets back up, and she’s on to the next level.

Your biggest pet peeve: When someone chews loudly. Also, someone who cuts people in line. 

Something that you think that fans of yours would be surprised to know about you: I don't know if it's a surprise, but I'm a gardener. I really love gardening. If I retired today, I feel like that is what I would do.

One piece of advice for other aspiring young female athletes: Whatever sport you're in, believe in yourself, believe in what you do, and always give yourself a chance. You never know what's out there for you. I feel like when things get really hard, we tend to try something else and leave it. Put your mind to it, focus, and work. It definitely brings good results in the end.