Kelvin Kiptum

Kelvin Kiptum Cheruiyot (2 December 1999 – 11 February 2024) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who held the marathon world record between 2023 and 2026. As of 2026, he still held two of the six fastest times running marathons in history, and was ranked first among the world's men's marathon runners at the time of his death.

Kiptum won all three marathons he ran including two top-tier World Marathon Majors (WMM) between December 2022 and October 2023. His times were three of the seven fastest marathon times, setting a course record of less than 2 hours 2 minutes in each race.

Kiptum ran the fastest-ever marathon debut at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, becoming only the third man in history to break two hours and two minutes and at the time set the fourth quickest time ever. In April 2023 he ran the second-fastest marathon in history at 2:01:25, 16 seconds outside the world record, at the 2023 London Marathon (WMM).

Kiptum and his coach died in a car crash on 11 February 2024 in Kaptagat, a settlement in rural Kenya used as a training place for long-distance runners. Local police said that Kiptum lost control of his vehicle and veered off the road, hitting a tree.

Early life Kelvin Kiptum was born on 2 December 1999. He grew up in Chepsamo village in Marakwet District, Chepkorio, a high-altitude (~2,600 m) area in Elgeyo-Marakwet County of Kenya's Rift Valley.

He was the only child of Samson Cheruiyot and Mary Kangongo. As a young boy, he herded his family's cattle and began following other barefoot runners along the forest trails. Kiptum started training around 2013, when he was 13 years old.

Career In 2013, at the age of 13, Kiptum finished 10th in his first half marathon, the Family Bank Eldoret Half Marathon in Kenya. In 2014, he finished 12th; in 2018, he finished first, self-coached at the time. In March 2019, Kiptum participated in his first international race, the Lisbon Half Marathon, finishing fifth with a new personal record (59:54). He participated in six other races that year, touring north and west Europe, In 2020, Kiptum started working with Rwandan 3000 metres steeplechase record holder Gervais Hakizimana as a coach, although Kiptum supposedly had periodically trained alongside other youths with him since 2013.

In April 2023, Kiptum set the course record at the London Marathon (2:01:25), only 16 seconds slower than the world record at the time and 72 seconds faster than Kipchoge's course record (2:02:37).

His following race, which was his third marathon and second World Marathon Major, was the Chicago Marathon on 8 October 2023, when he was still aged 23. Kiptum set a new world record with a time of two hours and 35 seconds, slicing 34 seconds off Kipchoge's standard set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, and surpassing the course record by more than three minutes. Kiptum negative split again, but this time the first half was covered in 60:48, almost a minute faster than his performance in London (though still 14 seconds behind the world record pace), and he had the stamina to run his second half at 59:47—only two seconds slower than in London, where he set the quickest half in a marathon. As in Valencia and London, the Kenyan made his trademark move roughly near the 30K checkpoint. After the 29th kilometre in a fast 2:35, he clocked a record 13:35 from 32–37k at a swift 2:43 min/km pace (22.09 km/h). Thus, Kiptum averaged 2:51 min/km pace for the entire distance (20.995 km/h). He ran at the front after the 15K checkpoint, without a pacemaker after halfway, and alone from 30th kilometre onward, beating the runner-up—his compatriot Benson Kipruto—by almost three and a half minutes.

Split times Kiptum VS Kipchoge's WR times Kiptum's World RecordChicago, 8 October 2023 Kipchoge's Former World RecordBerlin, 25 September 2022 Distance Split Time Split Time 5 km 14:26 14:26 14:14 14:14 10 km 14:16 28:42 14:09 28:23 15 km 14:27 43:09 14:10 42:33 20 km 14:30 57:39 14:12 56:45 Half (3:09) 1:00:48 (3:06) 59:51 25 km 14:25 1:12:04 14:23 1:11:08 30 km 14:27 1:26:31 14:32 1:25:40 35 km 13:51 1:40:22 14:30 1:40:10 40 km 14:01 1:54:23 14:43 1:54:53 Marathon (6:12) 2:00:35 (6:16) 2:01:09

Training regimen Following Kiptum's record-breaking performance in October 2023, his coach provided insight on the athlete's training regimen. Gervais Hakizimana stated that Kiptum logged per week in the lead-up to that year's London Marathon in April. His routine regularly featured daily morning runs spanning 25–28 km, track or fartlek workouts on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and intense long runs of 30–40 km at close to marathon pace on Thursdays and Sundays. He trained alternately in the high-altitude areas of Chepkorio and the nearby Kerio Valley (800–1,200 m) before the Chicago Marathon.

Personal life Kiptum was married to Asenath Cheruto Rotich, with whom he had two children.

Death On 11 February 2024, Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana died at 11:00p.m. (23:00) in a car crash near Kaptagat. Local police stated that Kiptum lost control of his car and veered off the road, before entering a ditch and colliding with a tree. Four men who had visited him that day about a contract for running shoes were subsequently detained for questioning concerning Kiptum's death.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe remarked: "On behalf of all World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, teammates and the Kenyan nation. It was only earlier this week in Chicago, the place where Kelvin set his extraordinary marathon world record, that I was able to officially ratify his historic time. An incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy, we will miss him dearly."

Former marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge said: "I am deeply saddened by the tragic passing of the Marathon World record holder and rising star Kelvin Kiptum. An athlete who had a whole life ahead of him to achieve incredible greatness. I offer my deepest condolences to his young family. May God comfort you during this trying time."

On 23 February 2024, Kiptum was buried at his farm in Naiberi, following a funeral ceremony in Chepkorio that was attended by Sebastian Coe and President Ruto. At the 2024 Chicago Marathon, Ruth Chepng'etich dedicated her world record run to Kiptum.

Achievements

Personal bests

Marathons

World Marathon Majors Series timeline