NEW YORK CITY – KU alum Sharon Lokedi made headlines on Sunday morning when she won the NYC Marathon with a time of 2:23:23 in her first-ever marathon.

Lokedi took the lead at 23 miles in Central Park and never gave it back. She won by seven seconds and finished 50 seconds off the course record.

“I’m just so happy that I just won, you know,” Lokedi told reporters after the race. “I’m really excited, just so happy that I did it here. The people out there, the course was amazing, the cheers, everything. I’m just thankful.”

The Kenyan native competed for the Jayhawks from 2015-2019 in cross country and track and field. Lokedi was the 2016 and 2017 Big 12 Cross Country champion and Women’s Runner of the Year.

During her freshman year, Lokedi was on the 2015 Cross Country All-Big 12 First Team, All-Midwest Region and First Team All-America.

Lokedi won the 2016 indoor 5,000-meter run at the Big 12 Championships and was named to First Team All-America for the 5,000-meter. During her 2016 outdoor debut, Lokedi continued the momentum by being crowned the 2016 10,000-meter Big 12 champion, followed by a First Team All-America accolade.

From 2015-2018, Lokedi was named First Team All-America seven times between cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field.

Lokedi was awarded cross country All-Big 12 First Team in 2015, 2017 and 2018 as well as cross country All-Midwest Region in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In Anschutz Pavilion, Lokedi set the facility record for the 5,000-meter run with a time of 9:29.24. She also set the Rock Chalk Park record for the 10,000-meter run, clocking in a time of 33:43.28 as well as the 5,000-meter run during the Kansas Relays in 2019 (15:42.76).

At Kansas, Lokedi was a three-time indoor Big 12 5,000-meter champion, two-time indoor Big 12 3,000-meter champion, three-time outdoor Big 12 10,000-meter champion and won the outdoor Big 12 5,000-meter title. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, Lokedi was awarded the Big 12 Indoor Performer of the Year award and was the 2019 Big 12 High Point Champion.

Lokedi won the 2018 Outdoor NCAA title in the 10,000-meter and had the sixth best time in NCAA indoor history for the 5,000-meter with a time of 15:15.47.

Lokedi holds the indoor Kansas record for the 5,000-meter, distance medley relay and 3,000-meter. For outdoor, Lokedi has the school record time in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter.

In 2018, Lokedi ran a time of 32:09.20 in the 10,000-meter, an NCAA Outdoor Championships meet record time.