Georgina J. Rono (born 19 May 1980 in Kapsabet, Rift Valley Province) 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.
In January 2023, it was announced that Rono had been banned for four years by Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya for evading a doping test. [1]
Rono is married to another Kenyan distance runner, Daniel Koech, and they have two children. She began competing in international races in 2006. Originally based in Spain, she came third at the Valencia Half Marathon and set a personal best of 1:03:41 hours for fourth at the Seville Half Marathon that year. In 2007 her best run was a third-place finish at the Semi-Marathon d'Oloron. [2] Rono stepped up to the marathon distance in 2008 and was fourth on her debut at the Prague Marathon, running a time of 2:40:23 hours, and fifth at the Ljubljana Marathon. [3]
She went under two hours and forty minutes for the first time at the Alexander the Great Marathon, where her time of 2:37:39 hours was enough for second place. [4] She bettered this time by almost six minutes with her sixth-place performance at the 2009 Frankfurt Marathon. [5] She was runner-up at the 2010 Marrakesh Marathon and again beat her best to finish in 2:30:55 hours for third at the Maratona d'Italia in Carpi. [6] [7]
The 2011 season marked a breakthrough for Rono: she began with a half marathon best of 1:09:08 at the Rabat Half Marathon, then won her first marathon race at the Hannover Marathon. [3] She established herself among the world's best runners over the distance at the Eindhoven Marathon that October. She ran alone in the final 10 km to cross the line in a course record time of 2:24:33 (a personal improvement of more than six minutes). [8] This placed her within the top ten Kenyan runners that year. [9] She returned to Kenya at the end of the year and competed in cross country races, including third places at the Tuskys Wareng Cross Country and Discovery Kenya Cross Country. [10] [11]
She was a distant second to Mary Keitany at the RAK Half Marathon at the start of 2012, but was five seconds off a personal best. [12] In her first World Major Marathon appearance, she reached the podium at the 2012 Boston Marathon. Warm temperatures disrupted the event, but she managed to make it a Kenyan sweep in the women's race with her third-place finish. [13] She improved her personal best to 67:58 minutes to win the Udine Half Marathon and took three minutes off her best at the Frankfurt Marathon, where she was second in a time of 2:21:39 hours. [14]
Rita Jeptoo is a Kenyan marathon runner. Originally a winner of the Boston Marathon three times, including setting the then course record at 2:18:57 in 2014, she had also won marathons in Chicago, Stockholm, and Milan, as well as having represented Kenya in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. She was the bronze medalist at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships.
Caroline Cheptanui Kilel is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in road running competitions. She was the winner at the 2011 Boston Marathon and the Frankfurt Marathon in 2010 and 2013. Kilel took the silver medal in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
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.
Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai is a long distance runner from Kenya, who specialises in marathons. He is now the joint 6th fastest man ever over the 42.195 km distance.
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.
Sharon Jemutai Cherop is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She won a bronze medal at the age of sixteen in the 5000 metres at the World Junior Championships. She was the bronze medal winner in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and won the Boston Marathon in 2012.
Wilson Kiprop is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in the 10,000 metres and half marathon. He was the world champion at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2010 and was the 10,000 m gold medalist at the 2010 African Championships in Athletics.
Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in road running and cross country running competitions. He has a half marathon best of 58:46 minutes and a marathon best of 2:07:06 hours. On the roads, he has won the Philadelphia Half Marathon, Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon and Stramilano races.
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.
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.
Joyce Chepkirui is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events. She established herself as a half marathon runner, winning races in Granollers, Bogotá and Gothenburg. She set a best of 1:06:19 hours to win the 2014 Prague Half Marathon. She also competes in 10K road races and her personal best of 30:38 minutes makes her fifth fastest woman ever.
Jemima Jelagat Sumgong is a Kenyan long-distance runner specialising in marathon races.
Levy Matebo Omari is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes mainly in marathon races. Matebo has a personal best of 2:05:16 hours for the 42.195 km distance, which he set as a runner-up at the 2011 Frankfurt Marathon. He was also second at the Boston Marathon in 2012. He has won marathons in Brussels and Barcelona. In addition to the marathon, he has a half marathon best of 1:00:06 hours.
The 2012 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 16, 2012. It was the 116th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the first of the World Marathon Majors series to be held in 2012. A total of 22,426 runners started the race. The competition was held in hot running conditions, reaching 88 °F (31 °C) that afternoon, and some of the 27,000 registered runners opted to take up the organizers' offer to defer their entry until the 2013 race.
Flomena Chepchirchir is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon events. Chepchirchir has won half marathons in Venlo, Glasgow and Zwolle. She is a two-time winner of the BIG 25 Berlin race. She has a half marathon best of 1:08:22 hours and a marathon best of 2:23:00 hours.
Helah Kiprop Jelagat is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in the half marathon and marathon. Her personal bests for the events are 1:07:39 minutes and 2:21:27 hours, respectively.
Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa is a Kenyan-born Bahraini long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. Having switched countries in 2013, she is the Bahraini record holder with 2:21:17 hours for the distance, set in 2017 at Nagoya Women's Marathon. She was the silver medallist in the marathon at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Violah Jepchumba is a Kenyan born Bahraini long-distance runner who competes in road running events up to the half marathon distance. She is the current Asian Record holder in the half-marathon with a winning time of 1:05:22. In 2016, at Praha, she ran a personal best of 1:05:51, which then ranked her as the third fastest woman ever.
