World cross-country champion Agnes Ngetich and bronze medallist Daniel Ebenyo will defend their titles at the Sirikwa Classic in Eldoret on February 14, 2026. The event serves as the final Gold meeting of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour season. It features elite senior races and under-20 competitions at Lobo Village.
The Sirikwa Classic returns to Lobo Village in Eldoret, Kenya, on Saturday, February 14, 2026, marking the fifth edition since its inclusion in the World Athletics calendar in 2021. As the only Gold label cross-country race in Africa, it has attracted over 1,900 athletes from local and international fields. The meeting includes 10km senior men's and women's races, an 8km under-20 men's event, a 6km under-20 women's race, and a 2km loop event.
In the women's 10km, Agnes Ngetich enters as the defending champion and recent World Cross Country winner from Tallahassee on January 10, 2026, where she finished in 31:28 ahead of Uganda's Joy Cheptoyek (32:10) and Ethiopia's Senayet Getachew (32:13). Ngetich, who set a women's-only 10km world record of 29:27 in 2025, expressed excitement about racing at home: “I’m very excited. This is home and defending my title here in Eldoret is something I really want to do. The atmosphere is always special at Sirikwa.” She views her world champion status as motivation rather than pressure, adding, “Running at home gives me the opportunity to race physically in front of my community.”
Maurine Chebor, who placed eighth in Tallahassee with 33:06, won the Kenyan trials in Eldoret on October 25, 2025, in 34:17 and seeks to challenge Ngetich. Other contenders include Lilian Kasait, with 2025 half-marathon victories in Prague (1:05:27) and New Delhi (1:07:20), and Rebecca Mwangi, the national 5,000m champion who finished 16th in the Worlds (33:55). Joy Cheptoyek is also expected to compete, setting up a rematch.
The men's 10km features two-time defending champion Daniel Ebenyo, the World bronze medallist, aiming for a hat-trick. He faces John Korir, winner of the 2024 Chicago and Boston Marathons. Ebenyo stated, “My race plan for Saturday is built on faith, courage and championship mentality. I am not just showing up to compete – I am showing up to contend, to fight and to finish strong.” Korir, who beat Ebenyo in Chicago 2024 but did not finish in 2025, said, “My race plan is to win in front of the home crowd.” Additional participants include Robert Kiprop, who was seventh at Sirikwa in 2024, and Germany's Hendrik Pfeiffer.
Race director Barnaba Korir noted advanced discussions to extend the event's contract with World Athletics beyond this year.
