Reigning Boston Marathon champion John Korir won the 20 Km race of the fifth edition, Sirikwa Classic Cross Country, on Saturday at the Lobo Village in Kapseret, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County as Agnes Ng'etich, a world cross country reigning champion, successfully defended the crown she won last year with 14 seconds better, in the same event.
Speaking right after the win, Korir, who finished with an impressive 29:44, said that he was using the race just for fitness gaugement, a race that saw him beat second-placed Amos Kiprotich by two seconds, 29:46, the same time posted by upcoming prodigy Silas Senchura, who completed the podium sprint finish at third.
“I did not expect to win. During the warm-up, the other athletes kept reminding me this is not a marathon, but cross country,” Korir joked.
"I told them if I go all the way to the six-kilometer mark, you will not see me again because my body will have already adapted to the course and warmed up,” the 29-year-old Korir added.
The senior women’s race saw World Athletics Cross Country champion Agnes Ng’etich successfully defend her title in 32:28, 14 seconds better than last year's 32:42, finishing ahead of Mercy Chepkemoi (33:42) and Catherine Reline (33:51).
Ng’etich, who clinched her maiden global title in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, last month, was quick to remind the athletics world that it takes patience and consistency for results to come.
“This is my third time running here, and I am so happy to have been part of this race. It has really grown, and it’s amazing to have a gold label event at home, in addition to the world title I won last month in the USA, ” quipped Ng'etich.
The junior category saw Kongit High School, Mt Elgon, student Veneza Chebet win the women under-20, six kilometers race in 20:28, ahead of Lonah Cherono 20:36 as defending champion Cynthia Chepkirui fresh from a fourth-place finish at the World Cross Country championships in Tallahassee, came in a paltry third in 20:45.
The men’s under-20 saw World Athletics Cross Country Championships silver medalist Emmanuel Kiprono crowned champion after cutting the tape in 23:41, defeating Wesley Kipkoech (24:08), with Edwin Elkana, who finished eighth at the 2026 World Cross Country championships finishing third at Sirikwa.
The Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour, a premier World Athletics Gold Label event, takes place annually in February on a course featuring open-field terrain, undulating hills, and natural obstacles at the Lobo Village in Kapseret, Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.
