Christopher Kipyego (born 13 June 1974) is a runner from Kenya who has won multiple major marathon races, including the Mexico City Marathon (spanish: Maratón Internacional de la Ciudad de México) in 2006 with a time of 2:17:23.[1][2][3]
Early career
Christopher Kipyego emerged as a competitive runner in 2003 when he scored 3rd place in the First KAAA Cross Country 4K in Nairobi, Kenya finishing in 10:42, just behind Raymond Yator and World Championship cross country competitor Samson Ngetich.[4][5]
Shortly after, Kipyego participated in the highly competitive Atlas Guadalajara Half Marathon in Guadalajara, Mexico where he finished 5th in 1:04:34.[6]
Kipyego settled in Mexico and in 2004, competed in the Mexican National Championship 5K in Mazatlán, where he finished third in 14:15 behind Alejandro Suarez and Rafael Sanchez. Suarez would go on to win the North American 5K Championships.[7] The following day, Kipyego ran the second-fastest half marathon he would ever run: 1:03:55 for second place in the Gran Pacifico Mazatlán Half Marathon, where he was just behind Isaac Kimaiyo. The day also saw the fastest ever woman's marathon in Latin America when Dorota Gruca finished the full marathon in 2:28:49.[8]
Kipyego placed in the top 10 at several other half marathons through 2006, including a repeat 5th at the Guadalajara Half.[1] He won the Tlaquepaque Half Marathon (Spanish: Medio Maratón de Tlaquepaque) in Tlaquepaque, Mexico. The race featured Kenyan competition with Momanyi Evans and Philip Kemei, and several course snafus. The media vehicles were allowed on the course, and they crowded the three runners, cutting them off in the narrow streets. Then, toward the end of the race, the leaders were directed the wrong way. They had to double back and lost about a minute in the rerouting. All three runners finished within four seconds of each other. Kipyego was in the front with a time of 1:05:06.[9]
Professional career
On Aug. 27, Kipyego emerged on the world stage at the Mexico City Marathon, an IAAF Gold-labelled event. At the halfway point, he was running in a lead pack with 2003 winner George Okworo and Mexican Alejandro Cuahtepizi. They raced passed the Angel of Independence and other landmarks while the leaders were striding through the heat. They raced past political protesters who had been occupying the Plaza del Zócalo in support of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, garnering cheers of "Mexico! Mexico!" The protest did not obstruct the race, and Kipyego pulled away from the pack to finish ten seconds ahead of Okworo for first prize and 270,000 pesos (or $22,800 USD).[2][10]
Four months later, he went on to beat that time and win his second marathon in a row at the Powerade Monterrey Marathon in Monterrey, Mexico. He ran the first half in 1:08:40 and negative split the second half (1:06:03) for a personal record by more than three minutes, scoring a 2:14:43.[11]
He returned for the Mexico City Marathon, placing tenth, before traveling to the Istanbul Marathon in Turkey, where he finished 32nd. At the end of the year, he attempted to defend his title at the Monterrey Marathon, where he finished third in 2:15:48.[1][3]
Kipyego was not finished in Duluth. He returned in 2011, and made a bold claim that he would win the race.[19] He went on to record his marathon personal record at Grandma's Marathon on June 18, 2011, where he brought home $11,500 with a first-place finish in a time of 2:12:16. The finish was the closest in the history of the race, with both runners clocking the same time—Kipyego won by a nose. He had been leading Teklu Deneke by several seconds, but he mistook a timing mat for the finish line and, for a brief moment, started celebrating. Race officials and spectators were shouting for him to continue. When Deneke pulled up beside him, he realized the mistake and sprinted step-for-step with the Ethiopian, just edging him at the actual finish line.[20][21]
In 2012, at the 36th annual Grandma's Marathon, Kipyego returned to defend his 2011 win. With more than 7,500 other runners, Kipyego was considered a favorite against two other sub-2:10 Ethiopian marathoners.[22] But Kipyego didn't make it to the event due to travel issues.[23]
He did make it to the Twin Cities Marathon in 2012. There, on a cold morning in October, Kipyego found a large prize by scoring the win in a time of 2:14:53, netting him $15,000. "I love these two races so much," he said of the Minnesota courses.[23][24]
Kipyego came to California in December 2012 to run the California International Marathon. Chasing Daniel Tapia and Tesfaye Alemayehu through the rainy, cool weather, he sprinted to a third-place finish in 2:17:59.[25]
2013 through 2015 saw Kipyego in the top 10 for more marathons, including 3rd place at the Guadalajara Marathon Oct. 13, finishing with a time of 2:21:42. He came back in 2014 to win 2nd place. In 2015, he finished the race in 3rd.[1] In 2013, he won the Tijuana Half Marathon. In 2014, he was back at Grandma's Marathon, for a third-place finish in 2:11:59.
Later career
In 2017, Kipyego won the Mazatlan Gran Pacifico Half Marathon. In 2018, he won the 39th running of the Guiding León Marathon (Spanish: el Guiar Maratón de León) in 2:22:21.[26] A month later, Kipyego was at the 2018 Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon. In 30-degree weather, he clipped out the miles in an average of 5:23 minutes to win in 2:20:59, taking home $6,000.[27]
By 2019, Kipyego, who was now 45, was winning his age group (and masters) in races such as the Guadalajara Half Marathon, where he finished 16th overall in 1:13:11.[28] In June 2019, he won his third consecutive masters' victory at Grandma's Marathon in 2:17:06, a few minutes behind overall winner Boniface Kongin.[29]
The COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe in 2020, eliminating most chances for competitive runners to face off against each other. With travel restrictions and then race cancelations, Kipyego would not be back to Grandma's Marathon or to defend his Detroit title.[32][33]
Personal life
When not running competitively, Kipyego trained with fellow Kenyans at their camp in Zacatecas, Mexico.[30] By 2021, after investing his prize money over decades, he was making enough in interest to carry him through the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancelation of most competitive races.[33]
Kipyego grew up in Marakwet, Kenya.[34] He started running competitively when he was 28.[35]
He is not the only runner in his family who competes; his older brother Michael Kipyego and his younger sister Sally Kipyego are also world-renowned runners who compete in marathon races. Michael lives in Elgeyo-Marakwet County of Kenya; the two of them went to St. Patrick's High School, a boys' school in Iten, Kenya, known for strong education and athletic training.[36] Sally is a naturalized US citizen who came in third in the 2020 United States Olympic Trials Marathon. She has named Christopher and Michael as inspirations for her.[37]
^ abcdefKen Young; Andy Milroy, eds. (2021). "Christopher Kipyego Chepses". Mattole Valley, California: Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^Ken Young; Andy Milroy, eds. (2021). "First KAAA Crosscountry Meeting". Mattole Valley, California: Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^Ken Young; Andy Milroy, eds. (2021). "Atlas Guadalajara Half Marathon". Mattole Valley, California: Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^Ken Young; Andy Milroy, eds. (2021). "Mexican Championships". Mattole Valley, California: Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
^Hugh Jones, ed. (December 2006). "December 2006 Results". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
^Peterson, Lauren (5 March 2007). "Slow and steady wins L.A. Marathon". sports. The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. D13.
^Proctor, Charles; Barboza, Anthony; Uribarri, Adrian (5 March 2007). "A Marathon Tour of Los Angeles". California. The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. B1.
^Hugh Jones, ed. (June 2009). "June 2009". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
^Hugh Jones, ed. (December 2009). "December 2009". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
^Pentis, Andrew (18 January 2010). "Ethiopians complete sweep". sports. The Arizona Republic. p. C6.
^Hugh Jones, ed. (December 2012). "December 2012". aims-worldrunning.org. Athens, Greece: Association of International Marathons and Road Races. Archived from the original on 2017-08-24. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
^Komen, Jonathan; Rotich, Bernard (28 February 2012). "Kipyego's Was Victory Ordained". The Nation. All Africa Global Media. COMTEX.
^Komen, Jonathan (18 July 2011). "Track Queen and Scholar Rolled into One". The Nation. All Africa Global Media. COMTEX. I was inspired to take up running by my brothers (Mike and Christoper).