Benjamin Kolum Kiptoo (born 1979) is a Kenyan professional marathon runner. He has won marathons in Rome, Beijing and Chuncheon, and represented Kenya at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. He holds a personal best of 2:06:31 for the distance, set en route to victory at the 2011 Paris Marathon. He also holds the fastest ever time recorded on Italian soil (2:07:17), with which he won the 2009 Rome City Marathon.
Born in Kapsabet, Kenya, he was introduced to elite coach Claudio Berardelli by a friend and became part of the same training group as Martin Lel. [1] He started his career as a pacemaker for road races and it was in the process of these duties that he completed his first marathon – he paced athletes at the 2006 Florence Marathon, where he was seventh with a time of 2:16:08 for the distance. [2] The following year he was fourth at the Brescia Marathon and then improved his best to 2:12:24 to take second place at the Lausanne Marathon. [3] A return to the Brescia race in 2008 proved to be a pivotal point for his career as he topped the podium for the first time. Completing the race seven seconds outside of the course record, he sliced over three minutes off his previous best to win the race in 2:09:23. [1] More success followed at the Beijing Marathon in October as a front-running performance brought him his second win of the year. [4]
His strong form continued into 2009 as he took his third consecutive win over the distance at the Rome Marathon in March. His winning time of 2:07:17 was not just a significant personal best and course record – it was the fastest marathon time ever to be recorded in Italy. [5] He was selected for the Kenyan team at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, representing his country internationally for the first time in the men's marathon. However, he was soon left behind by the leading pack and dropped out of the race before the 30 km mark while his teammates went on to secure the Marathon World Cup. [6] His third race of the year was the Frankfurt Marathon and he finished in a relatively quick time of 2:10:07, although this was only enough for seventh place as the winner Gilbert Kirwa entered the all-time top twenty runners. [7]
He participated in the 2010 Paris Marathon and led the pack at the 35 km mark, eventually taking fourth place in 2:08:01 – the second fastest run of his career at that time. [8] The Chuncheon Marathon was his next challenge that year and he broke Moses Tanui's thirteen-year-old course record by over a minute to clinch victory over Deriba Merga and Benson Barus. [9] He made a step up in his career at his following race, as he won the 2011 Paris Marathon with a new best of 2:06:31 hours – the fourth fastest recorded on the elite course. [10] His next race came at the Honolulu Marathon, but he managed only fifth place in a relatively slow time of 2:19:21 hours. [11] He was 23rd at the 2012 Paris race but a third place at the JoongAng Seoul Marathon in a time of 2:10:35 marked a revival in form. [12]
Moses Cheruiyot Mosop is a Kenyan middle and long distance athlete. He competed for Kenya at the 2004 Olympic Games and went on to take 10,000 metres bronze at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. He has also been successful in cross country running, having won the silver at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships as well as team gold with Kenya in 2007 and 2009.
Bernard Kiprop Kipyego is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. His personal best for the event is 2:06:22 hours. He has reached the podium at the Amsterdam Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Boston Marathon, Paris Marathon and Tokyo Marathon.
Koren Jelela, also known as Koren Jelila Yal, is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.
Robert Cheboror is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon.
Gilbert Kipruto Kirwa is a Kenyan athlete who specialises in long-distance running and the marathon. His personal best for the marathon is 2:06:14 hours and has won races in Vienna and Frankfurt.
Firehiwot Tufa Dado is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia, who won the New York City Marathon in 2011 with a personal best time of 2:23:15 hours. She also took three consecutive victories in the Rome City Marathon.
Henry Kemo Sugut is a male long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathon races. He is a three-time winner of the Vienna City Marathon. His personal best for the event is 2:06:58 hours. In his early career he ran in track races and represented Kenya at the World Junior Championships in Athletics and the All-Africa Games.
Jonathan Kosgei Kipkorir is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running competitions, including marathons. He is a two-time winner of the Venice Marathon, with consecutive wins in 2006 and 2007, and won the 2010 Beppu-Ōita Marathon. He also competes over the half marathon and has wins from the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon and Porto Half Marathon. His personal best in the marathon is 2:07:31 while he has run 1:00:19 for the half marathon distance.
David Kemboi Kiyeng is a Kenyan marathon runner. He is a two-time winner of the Reims Marathon and has also won the Italian Marathon, JoongAng Seoul Marathon, Chuncheon Marathon and Daegu Marathon. His personal best for the distance is 2:06:26, which was set at the 2009 edition of the Paris Marathon.
Philemon Kimeli Limo is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in cross country running and road running competitions. He has a half marathon best of 59:30 minutes and a marathon best of 2:09:25 hours. He typically competes on the Italian road circuit and has won the Roma-Ostia and Prague Half Marathons.
Agnes Jepkemboi Kiprop is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon events. Initially a cross country specialist, she has focused on marathons since 2008 and has won races in Reims, Turin, Frankfurt, Prague and Hannover. She holds a personal best of 2:23:54 hours for the event.
Priscah Jeptoo is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She has won marathons in New York, Paris, Turin, and London and has a best time of 2:20:14 for the distance. She was the runner-up in the marathon at both the World Championships in Athletics in 2011 and the 2012 London Olympics. She ranks third all-time over the half marathon distance with her best of 66 minutes and 11 seconds.
Vincenza Sicari is an Italian long-distance runner. She represented Italy internationally in cross country running early in her career, but later moved on to road events. She has appeared at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships on three occasions and ran in the marathon for Italy at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Benson Kipchumba Barus is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon and half marathon competitions. He has a personal best of 2:07:07 hours for the distance, set at the 2011 Prague Marathon, which he won. He also won the 2009 Turin Marathon and has placed top three in Rome, Beijing and Chuncheon.
Daniel Rono is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. He began his marathon career in 2005 and has won marathons in Mumbai, Toronto and Madrid.
Stanley Kipleting Biwott is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon races. He won the 2012 Paris Marathon in a course record time of 2:05:11 hours and the 2015 New York City Marathon. His half marathon best is 58:56 minutes.
Shami Abdulahi Dawit is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in marathon races. He won the 2012 Hamburg Marathon in a course record time and has a personal best of 2:05:42 hours for the distance.
Peter Kimeli Some is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events, including the marathon. Some has a marathon best of 2:05:38 hours and a half marathon best of 1:00:21 hours. He won the 2013 Paris Marathon and the 2012 Brighton Marathon. He is the son of former runner Some Muge and the brother of Matthew Kisorio.
Mulugeta Wami is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He has a personal best of 2:07:11 hours for the distance. He was the 2013 winner of the Ljubljana Marathon.
Ezekiel Kiptoo Chebii is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon races. He has personal bests of 59:05 minutes and 2:09:15 hours, respectively. His half marathon best ranks him among the top twenty all-time for the distance. He has won the Madrid Marathon and the Lille Half Marathon, both in course record times.
