Eliud Kiptanui (born 6 June 1989) is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He won the 2010 Prague International Marathon and has a personal best of 2:05:21 hours. He represented his country at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.
Kiptanui was born and raised in Kaplelach, Uasin Gishu District. He was the first child in a family of six and, like many Kenyans, he studied up to secondary school level. [1]
Kiptanui began to take running seriously after leaving school at 16, using the prize money to help pay for his sibling's education. He was encouraged by his performance in a 15 km race in Kenya in 2008, noting that although he finished in ninth place, all those who finished ahead of him were elite runners. [2]
Kiptanui travelled to Norway in July 2009 to compete in the 3000 metres at the Bislett Games, where he finished in fifth position. [3] However, it was a performance in his native Kenya which attracted the attention of athletics manager Volker Wagner. Kiptanui won the Safaricom Marathon in Kisumu in December of that year with a time of 2:12:17 hours, outrunning the second-place finisher by a margin of over seven minutes. [1]
Kiptanui intended to make his European marathon debut at the Vienna Marathon in April 2010, but his travel schedule was disrupted by the Eyjafjallajökull eruption and he instead settled for the Prague Marathon three weeks later as an alternative. He methodically paced himself in the race, first overtaking Denis Ndiso and then the race favourite Yemane Tsegay. Kiptanui completed the second half of the race faster than the first and was rewarded with a new personal best time and course record of 2:05:39, raising him into the top twenty fastest ever marathon runners in only his second race over the distance. [1] This was in spite of the fact that the Prague course is not a fast one, as it covers several kilometres of cobblestones. Kiptanui pledged to use the US$75,000 prize money to help his brothers and sisters attend school in Kenya. [2] He was touted as a possible winner at the 2010 Berlin Marathon, but he ended the race in fifth place with a time of 2:08:05 while compatriot Patrick Makau took the honours. [4]
His first race of 2011 was the Rotterdam Marathon and came fifth, some minutes off the winner Wilson Chebet. [5] He was chosen to compete for Kenya at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. He was among the leaders at the 25 km mark, but gradually fell behind after 30 km and finished the race in sixth place. [6] He ran the second best time of his career at the 2012 Seoul International Marathon, taking third place in a Kenyan podium sweep with a time of 2:06:44 hours. [7] In his two other outings that year he came eighth at the 2012 Berlin Marathon then second at the Beijing Marathon. [8]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  Kenya | ||||
| 2010 | Prague Marathon | Prague, Czech Republic | 1st | 2:05:39 |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | 6th | Marathon |
Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized at the 5000 metre distance. Regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion, and was the world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, until that record was broken by Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon on 8 October 2023 with a time of 2:00:35. He has run five of the nine fastest marathons in history.
Bezunesh Bekele Sertsu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in cross-country running and marathons.
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.
Emily Chebet Muge is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 10,000 metres and cross country running. She is a two-time winner of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, being the gold medallist in 2010 and 2013.
Patrick Makau Musyoki is a runner from Kenya. He is a former world record holder in the marathon—His time of 2:03:38, run at the 2011 Berlin Marathon, was the world record for two years, until it was beaten by Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. He is also notable for his half marathon performances, having won a number of prominent competitions in Europe in sub-1-hour performances.
Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich is a Kenyan professional athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is the former world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:03:23, which he set at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. He has run under 2 hours 4 minutes for the marathon on four occasions.
Yemane Adhane Tsegay is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He won the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon with a personal best time of 2:04:48 hours. He has also won marathons in Eindhoven, Gyeongju, Macau and Taipei.
Vincent Kipruto Limo is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He made his debut in the event in 2008 and won the Paris Marathon a year later. He then placed top three at the Chicago Marathon and the Rotterdam Marathon.
Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds, though the time was not recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations as a world record since the Boston course does not meet the criteria to be eligible for the mark.
Bazu Worku is a long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes in marathon races.
Wilson Kwambai Chebet is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. He has a marathon best of 2:05:27 hours.
The 37th Berlin Marathon took place on Sunday 26 September 2010 on the streets of Berlin, Germany. The competition was sponsored by German retailer real,- and it was the third World Marathon Major of the year, as well as being an IAAF Gold Label Road Race. A total of 35,227 runners started the race and 34,225 of those managed to complete the 42.195 km marathon distance. Patrick Makau was the winner of men's marathon while Aberu Kebede took the women's title.
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.
Helena Loshanyang Kirop is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. Her personal best for the distance is 2:23:37 hours and she has won the Prague International Marathon and Venice Marathon.
The 2011 Berlin Marathon was the 38th edition of the annual marathon event and was held on Sunday 25 September on the streets of Berlin, Germany. The men's race was won by Patrick Makau of Kenya in a world record time of 2:03:38 hours. The women's winner was Florence Kiplagat, also from Kenya, won in a time of 2:19:44 hours, which made her the ninth fastest woman of all-time. It was the first marathon she had completed in her career. In total, 32,991 runners managed to finish the 2011 edition of the marathon, comprising 25,577 men and 7414 women.
Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. Kamworor claimed victories at the World Half Marathon Championships three times in a row from 2014 to 2018. He took individual titles at the World Cross Country Championships in 2015 and 2017, and finished third in 2019. He won his first World Marathon Major at the 2017 New York City Marathon and regained his title in 2019, after a second-place finish in 2015. Kamworor also placed second at the 2023 London Marathon and earned three other podium finishes at a World Marathon Majors.
Peter Cheruiyot Kirui is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes over 10,000 metres on the track and in road running competitions. He was the 2011 Kenyan champion over 10,000 m and came sixth at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics. He has acted as a pacemaker for major marathons and has a marathon best of 2:06:31 hours. His best for the half marathon is 59:22 minutes.
Georgina J. Rono is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. She was third at the 2012 Boston Marathon. Rono won the Hamburg Marathon in 2014.
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.
Deressa Chimsa Edae is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. He represented Ethiopia in the event at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. His personal best of 2:05:42 hours was set at the 2012 Dubai Marathon. He won the Daegu Marathon in 2010.
