World Cross Country champion Agnes Ng’etich, two-time Boston Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi and New York Marathon queen Hellen Obiri are poised to rekindle their fierce rivalry on Saturday (June 6) when the Kenyan trio lock horns at the New York 10km road race.
The trio last squared off at the New York Half Marathon on March 15, where Obiri stamped her authority, surging to the tape in a winning time of 1:06:33.
Lokedi followed in second, timing 1:07:10, while Britain’s Megan Keith completed the podium after clocking 1:07:13. Ng’etich, meanwhile, endured an uncharacteristically subdued outing, fading to 13th place in 1:10:25.
But while Obiri and Lokedi may have held the aces in the half marathon battle, Saturday’s clash shifts firmly into Ng’etich’s specialist terrain. The 25-year-old owns the women’s 10km road world record after her 28:46 run in Valencia in 2024. She also holds the women’s-only 10km world record, courtesy of her 29:27 performance at the 2025 Adidas Adizero Road to Records meeting in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
Ng’etich arrives in New York buoyed by a sparkling start to her 2026 campaign. She opened her season by capturing her maiden global crown at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, storming to victory in 31:28. The Kenyan distance ace led Uganda’s Joy Cheptoyek (32:10) and Ethiopia’s Senayet Getachew (32:13) across the line.
She then dominated the senior women’s 10km race at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country Tour, clocking 32:28 before the New York half heartbreak.
Her latest appearance came on April 4 when she delivered another statement performance, winning the Lille 10K in a rapid 28:58.
Yet Obiri heads into the race carrying momentum of her own after a commanding display at the London Marathon on April 26, where she finished second while slicing her personal best down to 2:15:53.
The two-time Boston Marathon champion boasts a formidable 10km resume, highlighted by victories in Manchester in 2019 (31:23) and 2022 (30:15), Barcelona 2020 (30:53), Boston 2023 (31:21) and Cape Elizabeth 2023 (31:37). Lokedi, on the other hand, arrives fresh from a successful defence of her Boston Marathon title on April 20, where she powered to victory in 2:18:51.
Her credentials over the 10km distance include victory at the 2025 Boston 10K in 31:39, alongside runner-up finishes in Charleston in 2021 (31:53) and Boston in the same year (31:57). The Lokedi–Obiri rivalry, meanwhile, has evolved into must-watch distance running theatre.
Their marathon duels in past seasons have been nothing short of fiery. Obiri struck first in 2024, winning the Boston crown in 2:22:37 with Lokedi second in 2:22:45. In Boston 2025, however, Lokedi executed her revenge to win in 2:17:22 with Obiri second in 2:17:41. However, Obiri had the last laugh at the New York marathon, winning in a course record time of 2:19:51 with Lokedi second in 2:20:07.
