Elite Kenyan runner Sharon Lokedi thrilled the world a few days ago. She managed to win the prestigious Boston Marathon again, completing the 42,2-kilometer course in a (near) record time of 2:18:51. But this fascinating victory hides another happy story. Lokedi is sponsored by Garmin, but she forgot to bring her watch to the race.
Garmin Like other companies, it has selected world-class athletes whom it supports in various ways, and they promote its products in return. In the case of Locked it's about the necessity of wearing his watch to show off its capabilities and benefits. She previously trained with a low-end model Garmin Forerunner 55, currently wears during training and competitions Garmin Forerunner 970But on the day of the Boston Marathon, she accidentally forgot them at home.
A somewhat awkward situation arose. The runner could of course start without a watch and it would have no effect on her victory, but crucial data about her performance could not be recorded in any way. Therefore, one of the team members allegedly offered her his before the race. Apple Watch, but she had to politely decline due to sponsorship from Garmin. Then, fortunately, another benefactor was found – a former professional runner Stephen Pifer He lent her his Garmin watch. Forerunner 55.
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A record-breaking run with a happy ending
As we indicated in the introduction, Sharon Lokedi in Boston 20. April crossed the finish line first. And thanks to the borrowed Garmin smartwatch Forerunner 55 knew exactly how she was doing. She then uploaded her results to the app Strava and for the average mortal they are absolutely amazing:
- Finish time: 2:18:51
- Average pace: 5:16 per mile
- Fastest lap: 4:37 per mile
Gallery
At the same time, it was obvious on the spot that she accelerated from the 22nd mile and literally ran away from all the other competitors. And just like last year, she won, although this time she slightly offended herself – in 2025 she created a new women's track record and ran the route in 2:17:22. This is also a big win for Garmin, which has obviously bet on an ideal candidate for promoting advanced running watches. Moreover, with the model Forerunner The 55 proves that even a lower-end model will provide the most essential metrics that a top athlete needs. This is confirmed by marathoner Sebastian Sawe, who is currently using the Garmin model Forerunner 55 did something we thought was impossible. Read more about it here.
He doesn't have a watch in the photo at the finish line.
She probably lost them, right? Or the article is just the editor's gibberish...
Or is the photo not from the mentioned race? I recommend watching the recording before I start writing nonsense myself.
Dear Mr. Radek, on behalf of the entire editorial team, I deeply apologize to you. We always rely on at least some absolutely elementary intelligence of our readers. Unfortunately, you do not have it, so as Ales told you, this is really an illustrative photograph. The article is written based on information from the athlete, which, as you can see, she published in a post that is inserted into the body of the article. Next time, we will try to write for really less intelligent readers.
Embarrassing and orchestrated PR. If such a thing really happened.
Since you are writing an article for the Czech Republic, it would be a good idea to convert the pace to km. In miles, it is the same as writing that it was hot, almost 85°F. Of course, everyone can convert it themselves, but it significantly degrades the value of the article.