Geoffrey Mutai

Last updated

Geoffrey Mutai
Berlin-Marathon 2015 Runners 5.jpg
Personal information
Born (1981-10-07) 7 October 1981 (age 42)
Mumberes, Koibatek District, Kenya
Sport
Country Flag of Kenya.svg Kenya
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 10,000 m: 27:19
20,000 metres: 56:52
Half marathon: 58:58
Marathon: 2:03:02
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
World Marathon Majors
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2013 New York City Marathon
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2012 Berlin Marathon
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2011 New York City Marathon
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2011 Boston Marathon
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2010 Berlin Marathon

Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) 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 (4:41 per mile pace / 2:54 per kilometer pace), 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. [1] [2]

Contents

His other significant victories include the Monaco Marathon. He is also a strong half marathon runner, with wins at the Valencia Half Marathon and RAK Half Marathon, and a best of 58 minutes 58 seconds, to his name. He also won the 2011 New York City Marathon with a time of 2 hours 5 minutes and 6 seconds (4:46 per mile pace), breaking the course record set by Tesfaye Jifar of Ethiopia in 2001, [3] [4] and repeated his performance at the 2013 New York City Marathon with a time of 2 hours 8 minutes and 24 seconds.

Career

Mutai started running in 1994 while at Tuiyotich Primary School in Nakuru. He graduated from primary school in 1998, but financial constraints prevented him from joining a secondary school. Instead, he worked in a farm, but continued his running career. He was selected to represent Kenya at the 2002 World Junior Championships, but could not make the trip as he had no birth certificate. Soon after he was injured and almost quit running. He later joined Kapng'entuny Athletics Club in Eldoret. In 2007 he made his marathon debut, finishing second in the inaugural Kass Marathon in Eldoret. At this race he met his current manager Gerard Van de Veen of Volare Sports, who provided him with the opportunity of competing abroad. [5] [6]

He won the 2008 Monaco Marathon, clocking a time of 2:12:40 to beat second-placed Jacob Kitur. [7] He won the Loopfestijn Voorthuizen 10 km race in a course record time of 28:05 that July. [8] He made significant improvements at the Eindhoven Marathon, setting a new personal best of 2:07:50, which was a course record and over a minute and a half ahead of the opposition. [9]

Mutai opened 2009 with a win at the South Rift Valley 12 km championships. [10] He signed up for the Seoul International Marathon, but was unable to finish the race. [11] He ran at the Daegu Marathon a month later and finished eighth overall with a time of 2:10:45. [12] He returned to the Loopfestijn Voorthuizen race a few months later and improved upon his previous course record, running under 28 minutes for the first time to set a new best of 27:39. [13] [14] He had a second consecutive victory at the Eindhoven Marathon, further improving the course mark and his personal best to 2:07:01. [15] He won the Valencia Half Marathon in late 2009, seeing off the challenge from pre-race favourite Boniface Kirui and setting a new best of 59:30 over the distance. [16]

The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon was Mutai's first major race of 2010, and he beat Tadese Tola to the finish line. Although his time of 59:43 was quick, it seemed a relatively modest achievement given the tactical running and the race's historically fast times. [17] He took on the World's Best 10K in Puerto Rico a few weeks later, but Moses Masai and Sammy Kitwara pushed him into third place. [18] Mutai ran one of the fastest marathons ever at the Rotterdam Marathon in April, improving on his previous best by a large margin with a run of 2:04:55. However, Patrick Makau ran even faster and Mutai had to settle for second place. [19] He took to the track in the summer and set a 10,000 m personal best of 27:27:59 for second place at the Kenyan Championships behind Wilson Kiprop. [20] This earned him selection for the 2010 African Athletics Championships and he won the continental bronze medal, while Kiprop took the gold. [21] He was pitted against his Rotterdam rival Makau at the Berlin Marathon and the two maintained the same positions, with Mutai clocking 2:05:10 for second place. [22] He came close to a personal best at the Delhi Half Marathon and won the race by out-kicking Lelisa Desisa. [23]

He earned a place on the World Cross team with a victory at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships, conclusively winning by 44.4 seconds. [24] At the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships he was among the lead pack with 500 m to go but was outstripped by the fast pace and finished fifth. [25]

On 13 April 2014 Mutai finished in the 2014 London Marathon clocking 2:08:18 for sixth place.

World Marathon Record

On 18 April 2011, Mutai won the Boston Marathon in what was then the fastest time ever recorded for a marathon, which was 2:03.02: this was 57 seconds faster than the world record of 2:03:59, and broke the existing course record of 2:05:52 by almost three minutes. However, due to the point-to-point nature of the (overall, downhill) course, it cannot be ratified as a world record. Running in sunshine and temperatures near 50 °F (10 °C), Mutai was helped by a tailwind blowing 15-to-20 miles per hour. In the late stages, Mutai was pushed by 25-year-old countryman Moses Mosop: the two ran stride-for-stride over the last miles until a final sprint by Mutai gave him the victory by four seconds.

He also competed at the first B.A.A. 10K, which was held in Boston in June, and he won the race in a state record time of 27:19 minutes. [26] At the Giro di Castelbuono, the oldest European road race, he won as it took on a 10K format for the first time. [27] In August he ran the Bogotá Half Marathon in a course record time of 1:02:20 hours, beating Deriba Merga by a margin of over two minutes. [28] In November he won the 2011 New York City Marathon with another quick time of 2:05:06 hours, breaking the course record. This made him the first runner since American legend Bill Rodgers to take both the Boston and New York men's titles in the same year. [29]

He began the 2012 season with a run at the Discovery Cross Country in Kenya and was runner-up to Wilson Kiprop. [30] He returned to try to defend his title at the 2012 Boston Marathon, but dropped out in the second half of the race in hot conditions. As a result, the Kenyan selectors chose not to send him to compete in the marathon at the Olympics, in spite of his pedigree over the distance. He reorganised his race schedule and made his Canadian debut at the Ottawa 10K, winning by a margin of 45 seconds. [31] He defended his B.A.A 10K title with a world-leading run of 27:29 minutes. [32] A world record attempt at the 2012 Berlin Marathon saw him run the fourth fastest time ever (2:04:15), winning just ahead of his training partner Dennis Kimetto. [33] His last outing of the year brought another win, this time at the 15 km Montferland Run, where his time of 42:25 minutes was a personal best and also a course record. [34] He was chosen as the AIMS World Athlete of the Year for a second year running. [35]

He broke 59 minutes for the half marathon for the first time at the 2013 RAK Half Marathon, although his run of 58:58 minutes was only enough for third in the quick race. [36]

Personal life

Born to Andrew Koech and Emmy Koech, Mutai is the eldest of 11 siblings. He is married to Beatrice. They have a daughter, born in 2009. [5]

Personal bests

EventTime (h:m:s)VenueDate
10 kilometres 27:19Boston, USA26 June 2011
20 kilometres 56:52 Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates19 February 2010
Half marathon 58:58 Ras Al Khaimah, UAE15 February 2013
Marathon 2:03:02*Boston, USA18 April 2011
2:04:15Berlin, Germany30 September 2012

(*) Downhill and point-to-point course

Achievements

International competition

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
2010 African Championships Nairobi, Kenya3rd10,000 metres27:33.83
2011 World Cross Country Championships Punta Umbría, Spain5thSenior raceIndividual
1stSenior raceTeam

Road races

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2008 Monaco Marathon Monte Carlo, Monaco 1stMarathon2:12:40
Eindhoven Marathon Eindhoven, Netherlands1stMarathon2:07:50
2009 Daegu Marathon Daegu, South Korea 8thMarathon2:10:45
Eindhoven Marathon Eindhoven, Netherlands1stMarathon2:07:01
Valencia Half Marathon Valencia, Spain 1stHalf Marathon59:30
2010 New Delhi Half Marathon New Delhi, India1stHalf Marathon59:38
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Ras Al Khaimah, UAE 1stHalf Marathon59:43
Rotterdam Marathon Rotterdam, Netherlands 2ndMarathon2:04:55
Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany2ndMarathon2:05:10
2011 Boston Marathon Boston, United States1stMarathon2:03:02 CR
Bogotá Half Marathon Bogotá, Colombia1stHalf marathon1:02:20 CR
New York City Marathon New York City, United States1stMarathon2:05:06 CR
2012 Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany1stMarathon2:04:15
2013 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Ras Al Khaimah, UAE 3rdHalf Marathon58:58
New York City Marathon New York City, United States1stMarathon2:08:24
2014 New York City Half Marathon New York City, United States1stHalf Marathon1:00:50
London Marathon London, United Kingdom6thMarathon2:08:18
New York City Marathon New York City, United States6thMarathon2:13:44
2015 Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany 5thMarathon2:09:29

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References

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