Sawe, Lokedi, Obiri eye World Majors title as marathon season nears end

Sawe, winner of London and Berlin marathons, leads the men’s standings with 50 points, while Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo are tied on 41 points after the latter triumphed in Chicago earlier this month.

Attention now turns to Simbu, the world champion, who is expected to be on the start list in the Big Apple and is tipped for another strong podium run.

A top-two finish for the Tanzanian would see him overtake Sawe to claim the $50,000 (Ksh6.4 million) series prize, while a third-place finish would leave them level at 50 points, triggering tiebreak rules.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa leads with 41 points, Dutch star Sifan Hassan on 34 points.

Kenyan contenders Sharon Lokedi is on 25 points, while Hellen Obiri sits on 16 points. Hassan, Lokedi, and Obiri will all compete in New York, leaving Assefa’s lead under serious threat.

The World Marathon Majors series rewards the most consistent elite marathoners across seven premier races — Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, Sydney, and New York.