Sharon Lokedi, Hellen Obiri set for another gripping marathon showdown
.jpg)
Reading Time: 4min | Wed. 20.08.25. | 11:42
Since 2022, Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri have built one of the most gripping rivalries in the women’s marathon
The 2025 TCS New York City Marathon is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic editions yet, with rivals Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri once again headlining the women’s elite field. The 54th edition of the marathon is slated for Sunday, 2 November.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news
The two Kenyans, who share a warm friendship off the roads but a fierce rivalry on them, will be facing each other for the seventh time since 2022, and their fourth clash in New York.
Since 2022, Sharon Lokedi and Hellen Obiri have built one of the most gripping rivalries in the women’s marathon.
Lokedi drew first blood at the 2022 New York City Marathon, winning in her debut as Obiri faded to sixth. Obiri answered the following year, outlasting Lokedi to claim her own New York crown.
In 2024, Obiri edged Lokedi twice, first in Boston with a late surge to win by eight seconds, then at the Paris Olympics, where she took bronze while Lokedi settled for fourth, before adding a runner-up finish in New York as Lokedi struggled to finish ninth.
The pendulum swung back this spring in Boston, where Lokedi stunned with a 2:17:22 victory to deny Obiri by 19 seconds, setting the stage for another high-stakes clash in New York.
Obiri enters New York as the reigning queen of consistency. The three-time Olympic medallist and seven-time world medallist became the first woman in 34 years to win both the Boston and New York Marathons in the same year in 2023.
Lokedi, the 2022 champion, is hunting for another New York triumph after winning the Boston Marathon.
Joining them will be legends such as Edna Kiplagat (2010 NYC champion), Vivian Cheruiyot (four-time Olympic medallist), and Sheila Chepkirui, the fastest woman in the field by personal best.
The women’s field will also welcome American record holder Emily Sisson for her long-awaited New York City Marathon debut. Sisson, who finished 22nd at the Paris Olympics, is determined to prove she can master hilly courses after excelling primarily on flat ones.
Also returning is Molly Seidel, the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist, making her first marathon start since her 2:23:07 personal best at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
Fiona O’Keeffe, the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials champion, is back after recovering from a stress fracture that forced her out of the Paris Games.
Rising star Amanda Vestri, a New York native, will make her marathon debut, while Britain’s Jessica Judd also steps up to 26.2 miles for the first time after overcoming health challenges.
Ethiopia will be represented by distance running icon Tirunesh Dibaba, a three-time Olympic champion making her New York debut, alongside compatriot Senbere Teferi.
The men’s field is equally stacked, led by Benson Kipruto, the Olympic bronze medallist and owner of a blistering 2:02:16 personal best from Tokyo last year.
He will be making his New York debut against a strong cast that includes Evans Chebet (2022 NYC champion and two-time Boston winner), Albert Korir (2021 champion), and Geoffrey Kamworor, who has podiumed in all four of his New York starts.
Ethiopia counters with Deresa Geleta, who enjoyed a breakout 2024, winning in Sevilla and finishing runner-up in Valencia with a time of 2:02:38. The battle could also reignite last year’s tense duel between Abdi Nageeye and Chebet, which came down to the final stretch in Central Park.
The U.S. hopes rest on Olympic finalists Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who placed eighth and ninth in Paris, and Dakotah Lindwurm, the top American woman in Paris.
Elite field
Women
Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 2:17:29
Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 2:17:56
Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:18:31
Senbere Teferi (ETH) 2:19:21
Dera Dida (ETH) 2:19:24
Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:50
Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:02
Sharon Lokedi (KEN) 2:22:45
Hellen Obiri (KEN) 2:23:10
Fatima Gardadi (MAR) 2:24:12
Kellyn Taylor (USA) 2:24:29
Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) 2:24:30
Aliphine Tuliamuk (USA) 2:24:37
Dakotah Lindwurm (USA) 2:24:40
Lily Partridge (GBR) 2:25:12
Jessica McClain (USA) 2:25:46
Des Linden (USA) 2:25:55
Tristin Van Ord (USA) 2:25:58
Khishigasaikhan Galbadrakh (MGL) 2:26:32
Maggie Montoya (USA) 2:28:07
Katja Goldring (USA) 2:29:01
Savannah Berry (USA) 2:29:13
Men
Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:03:00
Gabriel Geay (TAN) 2:03:00
Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:03:36
Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39
Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:04:23
Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:04:45
Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2:05:01
Abel Kipchumba (KEN) 2:06:49
Albert Korir (KEN) 2:06:57
Conner Mantz (USA) 2:07:47
Clayton Young (USA) 2:08:00
Rory Linkletter (CAN) 2:08:01
Callum Hawkins (GBR) 2:08:14
Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 2:08:50
Elkanah Kibet (USA) 2:09:07
Noah Droddy (USA) 2:09:09
Jonny Mellor (GBR) 2:09:09
Jared Ward (USA) 2:09:25
Colin Bennie (USA) 2:09:38
Futsum Zienasellassie (USA) 2:09:40
CJ Albertson (USA) 2:09:53
Nico Montanez (USA) 2:09:55
Yuma Morii (JPN) 2:09:59
.jpg)
