Caroline Rotich (born 13 May 1984) is a Kenyan

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

who competes in

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

and

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

races. She has won the

Las Vegas Marathon The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon & 1/2 Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race run on the Las Vegas Strip and in parts of the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The race was one of the oldest marathons in the United States, having been run between 1 ...

New York Half Marathon The New York City Half Marathon (branded as the United Airlines NYC Half) is an annual half marathon road running race from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Manhattan's Central Park via the Manhattan Bridge, held since 2006. It passes through o ...

and the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...

. She represented Kenya at the

World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World Championships in Athletics) are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics (formerly IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations). Alongside the Ol ...

in 2011 and has personal bests of 2:23:22 for the marathon and 1:09:09 for the half marathon.

Biography

Born in

Nyahururu Nyahururu (formerly known as Thomson's Falls) is a town in Kenya, lying north east of Nakuru. The town derives its name from the Maasai people, Maasai word e-naiwurruwurr, meaning waterfall and/or windy or place of storms. It is located in Laikipia ...

, Rotich gained a

sports scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in ...

in Japan at Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School – an institution known for long-distance running (attended by athletes such as

Samuel Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He beca ...

).Caroline Rotich
. Camp Marafiki. Retrieved on 13 May 2012. She began competing in Europe after graduating and won the 2004 Diecimiglia del Garda in Italy and the Semi-marathon Marvejols-Mende in 2005. She made her debut over the

distance in 2006 at the

Nairobi Marathon The Nairobi Marathon is an annual road running competition over the marathon distance usually held in October in Nairobi, Kenya. First held in 2003, the competition expanded and now includes a half marathon race along with the main race. It was p ...

, finishing in eleventh place. She moved to the United States to train and became based there full-time. In May 2008, Rotich won the Ogden Newspapers 20K and came fourth at the

Bay to Breakers Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace in San Francisco, California typically on the third Sunday of May. The phrase "Bay to Breakers" reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarc ...

12K. A month later she ran a

best of 74:40 minutes for second at

Grandma's Marathon Grandma's Marathon is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth. The ...

and won the Hospital Hill Half Marathon. She began training with

Ryan Bolton Ryan Bolton (born March 26, 1973 in Rapid City, South Dakota) is an American athlete who competed in triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Bolton competed in cross country, swimming and track for Campbell County High School in Gillette, Wyoming. ...

's Harambee Running Club at the start of 2009 had top three finishes in the half marathon at the Yuengling, Cobán, Spiriti of Columbus and Grandma's Marathon races. A career breakthrough came with a win at the

, where she crossed the line in a time of 2:29:47 hours and won "Battle of the Sexes" race against the men. In 2010, Rotich set a new 10K best of 32:43 minutes at the

New York Mini 10K The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is an annual 10-kilometer road running competition for women that takes place in Central Park, New York City, in the United States. The race has been organised by New York Road Runners since 1972. The competition ...

, she was runner-up at the Crim 10-Miler and won the Grandma's half marathon and

Boston Half Marathon Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

. She improved her marathon best by one second at the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

, taking eighth place. She worked her way up into the top of the Kenyan rankings in 2011. She ran a personal best and course record of 68:52 minutes to win the

, then came fourth at the

2011 Boston Marathon The 2011 Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 18, 2011. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the men's race in a time of 2:03:02. In recognizing Mutai's mark as the "fastest Marathon ever run", the International Association of Athletics Federations ...

with a time of 2:24:26 on the downhill course, which gained her selection for the Kenyan national team. She won the Bix 7-Miler in July then finished 29th in the marathon at the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in th ...

. She ended the year with a personal best run of 2:27:06 hours at the

2011 New York City Marathon The 2011 New York City Marathon was the 42nd running of the annual marathon race in New York City, United States, which took place on Sunday, November 6. Sponsored by ING Group, it was the final race of the 2010/11 World Marathon Majors series and ...

. Rotich began 2012 at the New York Half Marathon, but did not defend her title and came eighth. She was among the leaders halfway through the

2012 Boston Marathon The 2012 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 16, 2012. It was the 116th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the first of the World Marathon Majors seri ...

, but dropped out after 30 km. She won the Crim 10-Miler with a personal best run of 53:43 minutes and completed her first marathon at the

2012 Chicago Marathon The 2012 Chicago Marathon was the 35th edition of the annual marathon race in Chicago, Illinois and was held on Sunday, October 7. An IAAF Gold Label Road Race, it was the fourth and final World Marathon Majors event to be held that year. Tsega ...

, where her time of 2:23:22 hours was enough for fifth position. In 2013, Rotich began by winning again the NYC Half Marathon just ahead of

Diane Nukuri Diane Nukuri (born 1 December 1984, in Kigozi-Mukike) is a Burundian-American professional distance runner. She competed for Burundi as a fifteen-year-old in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney in the 5,000m and in the 2012 Summer Olympics in Lon ...

. A win at the

Prague Marathon The Prague Marathon (also known as Prague International Marathon (PIM) and Volkswagen Prague Marathon) is an annual road marathon held in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic each May. It was founded in 1995 and has grown to become a si ...

followed in May. Rotich won the

2015 Boston Marathon The 2015 Boston Marathon was the 119th running of the Boston Athletic Association's mass-participation marathon. It took place on Monday, April 20 (Patriots' Day in Massachusetts). The men's race was won by Lelisa Desisa from Ethiopia in a time o ...

on April 20, with a winning time of 2:24:55. That November, she placed 10th in 2:33:19

TCS New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...

. In 2022 Rotich set a new personal best time in the 10K distance at the

. She finished 8th overall with a time of 31:30.New York Mini 10k Results
NYRR Mini 10K. Retrieved on 17 June 2022.

Personal bests

10 kilometres 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit (measurement), unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment ...

– 31:30 (2022) *

Half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

– 1:09:09 (2013) *

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

– 2:23:22 (2012)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rotich, Caroline Living people 1984 births People from Laikipia County Kenyan female long-distance runners Kenyan female marathon runners Boston Marathon female winners 21st-century Kenyan women 20th-century Kenyan women