Purity Kajuju Gitonga

Purity Kajuju Gitonga

in 2017
Personal information
Nationality	Kenyan
Born	(1996-05-12) 12 May 1996 (age 28)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Long-distance running, Mountain running
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	3000m: 8:39.36 (Ostrava, 2025)
Medal record Women's mountain running Representing   Kenya World Championships 2018 Andorra Team

Purity Kajuju Gitonga (born 12 May 1996) is a female Kenyan mountain runner and long-distance runner. ^[1]

Career

She won a gold medal in the team event at the 2018 World Mountain Running Championships in Andorra. ^{[2] [3]} She was runner-up at the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) Mountain Running World Cup at Grossglockner Berglauf in 2019 and 2021. ^{[4] [5]} She won the inaugural Mt. Kenya Mountain Running Championship in Meru County in 2021. ^[6]

In June 2023, she won the World Athletics Bronze Label Race over 10km on the roads in Karlovac, Croatia. ^[7] Later that year, she won the Hamburg 10km road race and the Udine half marathon in Italy. ^[8]

In April 2024, she won the Paderborner Osterlauf 10km race in Paderborn, Germany. ^[9] In October 2024, she won the Bilbao Night Marathon in a time of 1:08:52. ^[10] She was runner-up at the 2024 Prievidza 10Km Road Race. ^[11]

In February 2025, she set a 3000 metres indoors personal best of 8:39.36, running in Ostrava. ^[12] She was selected for the 3000 metres race at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March 2025, Kenya's sole representative in the women's 3000m race. ^[13]

Personal life

She is from the Kibirichia ward in Buuri Sub County, Meru County, Kenya, but is based in Iten, Kenya. Her twin sister Caroline Makandi Gitonga is also a competitive distance runner. ^{[8] [14]}

References

1. "Purity Kajuju Gitonga". World Athletics. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
2. "Lucy Murigi To Defend World Mountain Running Title". Dailysport.co.ke. September 12, 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
3. "WORLD MOUNTAIN RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIP, ANDORRA-CANILLO 2018, Class TEAM SENIOR F" (PDF). berglaufpur.de. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
4. Green, Olly (24 November 2022). "Lolkurraru and Njeru claim wins at Grossglockner Berglauf 2021s". Run247. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
5. Houston, Michael (11 July 2021). "Kenyans claim Grossglockner WMRA World Cup leg wins in Austria". Inside the Games. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
6. "Purity Gitonga Out To Defend Mt. Kenya Running Championship". capitalfm.co.ke. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
7. "Purity Kajuju Gitonga from Kenya set a new women's race record of 31:17, and Kenyan Vincent Kimutai Towet broke the men's record of 28:26". Karlovacki.hr. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
8. Wafulu, Abigael (24 September 2023). "Purity Kajuju sets ambitious goals after finishing first ahead of twin sister in Udine half marathon". Pulse Sports. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
9. Koech, James (April 1, 2024). "History making Purity Gitonga wins Osterlauf 10k". Athletics.co.ke. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
10. Vaselyne, John (October 20, 2024). "Purity Gitonga wins Bilbao Night Marathon". Athletics.co.ke. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
11. "AK picks team for World Indoors in Nanjing, China". Citizen. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
12. "Hailu and Crestan impress as meeting records fall in Ostrava". World Athletics. 4 February 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
13. "Kenya selects 10 athletes for Nanjing". World Athletics. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
14. Wanja, Charity (25 February 2022). "Epic duels shaping up in Mountain Running". Mozzartsport. Retrieved 15 March 2025.