How Sharon Lokedi & Under Armour Won the 2025 Boston Marathon

On Monday, Sharon Lokedi took first place in the women's field for the 2025 Boston Marathon. Lokedi crushed the course record by two minutes with an incredible time of 2:17:22.

In addition to making long-distance running history, Lokedi also helped elevate Under Armour to new heights in the sport.

She ran in a development version of the UA Velociti Elite 3 (the final version releases in October) and wore the Under Armour Pro Runner '25 Crop and the Pro Runner '25 Split shorts. Lokedi's apparel and footwear picks are available online at UA.com.

Fresh off of her career-defining moment, Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI spoke with Lokedi and Doug Smiley, Global Product Director of Run Footwear & Run Apparel at Under Armour.

Sharon Lokedi Interview

How did it feel to accomplish the monumental achievement of winning the Boston Marathon?

It felt so good, really, really good. I even felt so much better and magical just having my mom across the finish line. Just crossing and her being there and waiting for me. So it was just so good to get to spend that moment with her.

How does the unreleased UA Velociti Elite 3 feel on foot?

They feel great. They feel perfect. I have been on them for about nine months, and I can honestly say I love them. I do most of my runs — long runs, workouts, everything else, and it just feels so good.

So, when I go to the race, I'm just like, 'Oh, this is just my normal shoe,' like my everyday shoe. But yeah, it feels good. It feels very, very light, very supportive.

You also debuted the Under Armour Pro Runner '25 Crop Top. Did you notice a difference in how you felt?

Honestly, it felt really good, so light, very breathable. Like, I wasn't uncomfortable or anything. I was just focusing on the race. That's the one thing you always want to feel.

You just want to not be thinking about anything else. And just knowing that you have the gear that's supporting you and it's giving you all you need to just get you to the finish line.

Last question: Can we expect you to debut more UA gear this year?

Yes, for sure. It's always something good, something new. Always!

Doug Smiley Interview

How cool was it to see Sharon succeed in the UA Velociti 3 Elite?

Just unbelievable. It's great to see the shoe out there, but to see Sharon just put up a performance like that, know how excited everyone at the brand is, all our fans.

You know, we're getting emails from our factory teams who helped build the shoe, and like, they're super excited, so this is like really like UA collectively behind Sharon, and having a performance like that is just like just such a remarkable moment for us.

The shoe will launch later this Fall. What can you tell us about the model?

This is our third edition of the Velociti Elite series, so we really started the project right around late 2019, throughout the pandemic, just working with Sharon and other athletes to get the insights to really drive it.

This is really our marathon super shoe. It's made for gun-to-tape efficiency, and this is really kind of that singular sharp point of the brand, where we have the ability to give athletes a tool that gives them an essential edge on race day when the performance matters the most.

We completely reworked the system on the new Velociti Elite 3, just to give it more pop and more energy return underfoot. We went with a new version of foam underfoot, so it's HOVR+.

It's an HTPU foam. It's really lively, has great energy return, and it's super consistent over the course of the run.

We want the shoe to do more work at the end of the run and less work for the athlete. So, it feels like it's given them that extra kick at the end. It doesn't just feel great at the start. It feels great and consistent throughout.

We have a Leno Weave upper, which is made to be lightweight, hydrophobic, and irritant-free. So when Sharon and our athletes get their race day, they're not even thinking about their shoe; they're just thinking about their performance.

What kind of feedback did Sharon provide during the wear-test process?

Sharon is the best to work with. She gives us very clear insights that the team can work with to really craft the differences.

After the New York City Marathon, it was just about making the shoe lighter, so we really set on this path of making it light without losing any of that energy return or consistency or propulsion that really makes it a true super shoe.

We were on a good path, and we felt really confident with the tools and the tool kit.

So when Sharon was saying she was having these workouts that were really great and she was really happy with the results, and then the lab testing showed that she was really performing at a high level, we knew it was ready for race day.

Last question: Sharon did her part by winning the Boston Marathon in the UA Velociti 3 Elite. What other goals do you have for the shoe?

I hope, and I know, Sharon just continues to inspire runners everywhere to get out there and perform their best. We're in an amazing time for running, and participation is going crazy.

People are training for marathons, so just pushing it harder than ever before and then having bigger and more aspirational goals.

The great thing is that we can perfect the shoe and have it perform at the highest level for Sharon, but also for everyday runners who can get out there and chase their marathon goals and their PRs. It's going to create an amazing experience for that.

We have this dynamic-systems approach every time we create something; we don't just want it to work for one athlete, but how can we take this technology and make sure every athlete can put it on and really have that magical experience.

We're just really excited to get this on runners everywhere this Fall.

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