Live from Kenya with Marathon Champ Sharon Lokedi

Live from Kenya with Marathon Champ Sharon Lokedi

From Set the Pace by New York Road Runners

February 19, 2026 · 23 min · Episode 154

About this episode

Rob interviews marathon champion Sharon Lokedi about her journey and the impact of Kenya's running culture.

In this special episode of Set the Pace Rob sits down with Sharon Lokedi, TCS New York City Marathon champion, at her mother’s home in Eldoret, Kenya. Lokedi reflects on her journey from training on Kenya’s red clay roads to winning major marathons, and what it means to inspire other Kenyan runners. She shares how Kenya’s deep-rooted running culture fuels her motivation as she prepares to defend her titles at the United Airlines NYC Half in March and the Boston Marathon in April. Lokedi also speaks candidly about competition, pressure, and using her platform to support organizations addressing gender-based violence, including Tirop’s Angels, an organization created by friends and family of Agnes Tirop, who was killed in Kenya just weeks after breaking the 10K road running world record in 2021. FOLLOW NYRR: Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | YouTube SUPPORT: Support the Set the Pace podcast! If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify . DISCLAIMER See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Rob

Guest: Sharon Lokedi

Topics covered

  • marathon running
  • Kenyan running culture
  • athlete motivation
  • gender-based violence
  • competition
  • training

Keywords

  • Sharon Lokedi
  • marathon
  • Kenya
  • running culture
  • gender-based violence
  • TCS New York City Marathon
  • Boston Marathon

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Road Runners, Tirop’s Angels

Places: Eldoret, Kenya

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