Sharon Lokedi after winning the Boston 10K last year/ HANDOUT
A high-octane clash is brewing on March 15 as three of Kenya’s female distance heavyweights — Hellen Obiri, Sharon Lokedi and Agnes Jebet Ng’etich — square off at the New York City Half Marathon.
With pedigree, pride and pace all on the line, the streets of the Big Apple are set to host one of the most compelling women’s half-marathon fields of the season. Defending champion Lokedi returns brimming with confidence.
Lokedi stormed to victory in New York last year, clocking 1:07:04 to outkick American Fiona O’Keeffe (1:07:46) and Britain’s Calli Hauger-Thackery (1:07:49). At 31, Lokedi is still relatively new to the 21km distance. She made her debut at the Great North Run in 2021, finishing fourth in 1:09:53, and followed that with another fourth-place finish in New York in 2022 (1:08:14).
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That race was won by Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi (1:07:35), with Kenya’s Irine Cheptai (1:07:37) and Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (1:08:07) completing the podium.
Lokedi’s most recent half-marathon outing came at the Copenhagen Half Marathon in September last year, where she rocketed to second place in a personal best of 1:05:00, finishing behind Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw (1:04:44).  
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But if Lokedi carries the confidence of a defending champion, Hellen Obiri brings the aura of a proven conqueror. A two-time champion of both the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon, Obiri is no stranger to delivering on big stages. She claimed the 2023 New York half-marathon crown in 1:07:21, surging clear to defeat Teferi (1:07:55) and Grøvdal (1:09:53).
Her half-marathon résumé sparkles with victories in Istanbul (1:04:48, 2022), Ras Al Khaimah (1:05:05, 2023), Tyne (1:07:05 in 2022 and 1:07:42 in 2021) and Buri (1:07:45, 2022).
The Lokedi–Obiri rivalry has become box-office viewing. Their marathon duels last season were decided in the dying stages. Lokedi struck first at the 2024 Boston Marathon, clinching victory in 2:17:22 with Obiri close behind in 2:17:41.
But Obiri responded emphatically at the New York City Marathon, reclaiming bragging rights with a 2:19:51 triumph as Lokedi settled for second in 2:20:07. Yet while the spotlight shines brightest on that familiar rivalry, Agnes Jebet Ng’etich arrives as the wildcard — and perhaps the fastest woman in the field.
The 25-year-old owns the second-fastest half-marathon time in history: a blistering 1:03:04 from Valencia in 2024. Only Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey has gone quicker, courtesy of her 1:02:52 world mark set in Valencia in 2021.
Ng’etich may lack extensive experience over 21km — her only other half-marathon also coming in Valencia (1:03:08) — but she compensates with fearless front-running and ruthless pace judgment.
She heads to New York riding a wave of early-season dominance. In January, she captured her maiden global title at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Florida, clocking 31:28.
She followed that statement with another commanding performance at the Sirikwa Classic, stopping the clock at 32:28. “The Sirikwa is a good build-up for my season. I am excited to see what’s to come,” Ng’etich said after her victory. On March 15, what’s to come is a collision of experience, rivalry and raw speed.