T. NashipaeFrom cattle herding to winning marathon with borrowed shoes: The story of Iten International Marathon champion Luke Kiprop
Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 14.11.23. | 09:50
Luke Kiprop, the Iten International winner, also revealed that he never had any proper marathon training ahead of his crucial win
It was all smiles and cheers as Luke Kiprop's well-measured and calculated strides cruised through the home stretch to claim the second edition of the Iten International Marathon that was held on Sunday in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Kiprop cut the tape in 2:13:19, five minutes slower than the course record set by Samuel Naibei in the inaugural edition last year. That marked an impressive start to his marathon journey. The Iten event was also his first competition.
Prior to hitting the road, the 20-year-old was a herder at his coach Erick Kogo's home for the past five years before the latter realized that he was a latent powerhouse.
He had been doing his usual home workouts before he made a last-minute decision to compete in the Iten International Marathon, a decision that would see him bag a million shillings following a clean bill from the Anti Doping Agency of Kenya.
When he expressed his interest in competing in the race, Kogo willingly gave him the registration fee and was glad his efforts were finally paying off.
“I first introduced him to pacing for the women runners during training and in some local competitions but I realized that he is good. Three days ago, he told me that he wanted to compete in this race and I gave him a Ksh 1000 to register. His determination and focus have handed him millions,” Kogo said.
He would then borrow running shoes from world 10,000m bronze medallist, Daniel Simiu, after his eleventh-hour decision to compete in the full marathon.
“Simiu used shoes to win a silver medal at the World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia as well as the New Delhi Half Marathon, and today, I used the same pair to win the Iten Marathon. This is a blessing," Kiprop said.
Kogo was optimistic that the future was bright for Kiprop.
“Recently, I worked hard to get him a national identity card and my next move is to ensure he gets a passport because he has great potential in running,” he said.
Despite the incredible performance, the youngster said that he had not trained for the marathon. He used to train for 10km.
“It is my first marathon. Previously, I was running 10km but I decided to upgrade to the marathon,” Kiprop said after crossing the finishing mark. "I did not expect to win but I am so happy with the results. Hard work and discipline is the only thing.”
In the men's category, Charles Kimeli and Edwin Yator came in second and third by clocking 2:14:19 and 2:14:46 respectively while Lina Kaino (2:34:27) settled for second position while Caroline Kimosop completed the podium in 2:36:36 in the ladies' category.
In the 10k category, budding road and track star Reuben Longosiwa topped the men’s 10km race while MonacoRun 5km champion Miriam Chebet took the women’s crown in that event. Longosiwa crossed the line in 28:32 followed by Nelson Langat and Johana Erot who timed 28:44 and 28:46 respectively in the 10km clash.
