Christopher Kipyego (born 13 June 1974) is a runner from

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

who has won multiple major marathon races, including the

Mexico City Marathon The Mexico City Marathon ( es, Maratón Internacional de la Ciudad de México) is an annual road running event over the marathon distance which is held on the streets of Mexico City in late August or early September that in 2018 received IAAF ...

(''

spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: Maratón Internacional de la Ciudad de México'') in 2006 with a time of 2:17:23.

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 Nairobi ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows throug ...

finishing in 10:42, just behind

Raymond Yator Raymond Kipkorir Yator (born 7 April 1981) is a Kenyan former steeplechase athlete. He was a former world junior record holder and world junior champion for the steeplechase. His personal best of 8:03.74 minutes ranks him with the all-time top 25 ...

and World Championship cross country competito
Samson Ngetich
Shortly after, Kipyego participated in the highly competitive Atlas Guadalajara Half Marathon in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

where he finished 5th in 1:04:34. Kipyego settled in Mexico and in 2004, competed in the Mexican National Championship 5K in

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding ''municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of ...

, where he finished third in 14:15 behind

Alejandro Suarez Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander. Alejandro has multiple variations in different languages, including Aleksander (Czech, Polish), Alexandre ( French), Alexandros (Greek), Alsander (Irish), Alessandro (Italian), Aleksandr (Rus ...

and Rafael Sanchez. Suarez would go on to win the North American 5K Championships. The following day, Kipyego ran the second-fastest half marathon he would ever run: 1:03:55 for second place in th
Gran Pacifico Mazatlán Half Marathon
where he was just behin
Isaac Kimaiyo
The day also saw the fastest ever woman's marathon in Latin America when

Dorota Gruca Dorota Gruca, married Giezek (born 5 December 1970 in Tarnogród) is a Polish marathon runner, who is a three-time national champion in the women's 5.000 metres. She finished thirteenth at the 2005 World Championships, in a career best time of 2 ...

finished the full marathon in 2:28:49. Kipyego placed in the top 10 at several other half marathons through 2006, including a repeat 5th at the Guadalajara Half. He won th
Tlaquepaque Half Marathon
(

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Medio Maratón de Tlaquepaque'') in

Tlaquepaque Tlaquepaque (), officially San Pedro Tlaquepaque, is a city and the surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Geography During the 20th century, it was absorbed by the outward spread of the state capital, and is now a fully in ...

. 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.

Professional career

On Aug. 27, Kipyego emerged on the world stage at the

, an IAAF Gold-labelled event. At the halfwaypoint, he was running in a lead pack with 2003 winner George Okworo and Mexican Alejandro Cuahtepizi. They raced passed the

Angel of Independence The Angel of Independence, most commonly known by the shortened name ''El Ángel'' and officially known as ''Monumento a la Independencia'' ("Monument to Independence"), is a victory column on a roundabout on the major thoroughfare of Paseo de l ...

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 Andrés Manuel López Obrador (; born 13 November 1953), also known by his initials AMLO, is a Mexican politician who has been serving as the 65th president of Mexico since 1 December 2018. He previously served as Head of Government of Mexico ...

, 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 The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...

(or $22,800

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

). Four months later, he went on to beat that time and win his second marathon in a row at th
Powerade Monterrey Marathon
in

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

. 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. In March 2007, Kipyego traveled to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for the 22nd

Los Angeles Marathon The Los Angeles Marathon (formerly known as the City of Los Angeles Marathon) is an annual running event typically held each spring in Los Angeles, California, since 1986. The marathon was inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Ga ...

. On a new point-to-point course lined with an estimated 1 million spectators, Kipyego trailed Kenyans

Fred Mogaka Fred Mogaka Tumbo (born 18 June 1978) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. In 2006 he won the silver medal in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games, and finished seventeenth at the inaugural World Road Running Champi ...

an
Moses Kororia
and finished third in 2:18:21. He returned for the Mexico City Marathon, placing tenth, before traveling to the

Istanbul Marathon The Istanbul Marathon ( tr, İstanbul Maratonu, also known as N Kolay Istanbul Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an international athletics event hosted in Istanbul, Turkey, in November, first held in 1979. It is the only marathon in the w ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, 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. In 2008 and 2009, Kipyego finished in the top 10 at several Mexican marathons and half marathons. In both years, he won th
Tangamanga International Marathon
(

''Maratón Internacional Tangamanga, Mexico'') in

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...

, Mexico. He took 1st at th
Puebla Volkswagen Marathon
in

Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

, Mexico with a time of 2:18:46. And after a disappointing finish in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Eindhoven Marathon The Eindhoven Marathon (Dutch: ''Marathon Eindhoven'') is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km which is held in the city of Eindhoven, The Netherlands in October. It has been an annual race since 1990 – it was held bie ...

, he returned to Mexico to win th
Gran Pacifico Mazatlán Marathon
in 2:16:12. In 2010, Kipyego again set a personal record for the marathon distance when he traveled to

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

for the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon in January 2010. More than 8,000 runners filled the streets and ran to downtown

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

, lead by a group of seven. At the 24-mile mark,

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

Terefe Yae turned over a quick mile, with Kipyego in pursuit. Yae pushed to a win, with Kipyego second in 2:12:56, 15-seconds behind. He won second place a
Panama City International Marathon
the

Santiago Marathon The Santiago Marathon ( es, Maratón de Santiago) is an annual event first run in 2007 through the streets of Santiago Chile. Other races include a half marathon and a 10K run. The marathon held the IAAF Road Race Label Events, IAAF Road Race Bro ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and a marathon in Juarez, Mexico. And he was in the United States again in the summer, where he raced his first

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 ...

from

Two Harbors, Minnesota Two Harbors is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Minnesota, United States, along the shore of Lake Superior. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 61 serves as a main route in Two Harbors. Gooseberry ...

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. He came in second in 2:16:00 to win more than $8,000. He finished the year with a win at the 45t
Gobernador Marathon
in

Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is home to 1,000, ...

, Mexico, in 2:19:23. Kipyego was not finished in Duluth. He returned in 2011, and made a bold claim that he would win the race. 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 leadin
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

, just edging him at the actual finish line. Throughout the rest of 2011 and 2012, Kipyego placed second or third in more than 10 major Mexican marathons as well as second in th
Asunción International Marathon
in

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

and fourth in the

Dalian International Marathon The Dalian International Marathon is an annual marathon held in Dalian, People's Republic of China, China. It is recognized by International Road Running Association, IRRA and China Athletic Association of Road Running Committee. It was first held ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. In 2011, he also raced the

Twin Cities Marathon The Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area which normally takes place the first weekend in October. The race is often called "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America" due to ...

from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, but dropped out with stomach issues. 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. But Kipyego didn't make it to the event due to travel issues. 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. Kipyego came to California in December 2012 to run the

California International Marathon The California International Marathon (CIM) is an annual road marathon () held in Northern California since 1983. The net downhill course starts at Folsom Dam and ends at the State Capitol in Sacramento. The race is organized by the Sacrament ...

. Chasing Daniel Tapia and Tesfaye Alemayehu through the rainy, cool weather, he sprinted to a third-place finish in 2:17:59. 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. 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 th
Guiding León Marathon
(

: ''el Guiar Maratón de León'') in 2:22:21. 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. 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. 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 Boniface Kongin is an elite marathon runner from Iten, Kenya. Born March 16, 1990, Kongin grew up in an era that saw distance running records continually set by runners from Kenya and Ethiopia. He became a strong distance runner and placed high i ...

. He returned to Detroit for the Detroit Free Press/TCF Bank Marathon on a morning with perfect weather. As the course crossed the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively refe ...

and doubled back

downtown Detroit Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Locally, downtown tends to refer to the 1.4 square mile region bordered by M-10 (Lodge Freeway) to the west, Interstate 75 ( ...

, he broke away from the others and pushed hard at the 20-mile-mark across the MacArthur Bridge to finish first in 2:18:59. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

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.

Personal life

When not running competitively, Kipyego trained with fellow Kenyans at their camp in

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

. By 2021, after investing his prize money over decades, he was making enough in interest to carry him through the

and the cancelation of most competitive races. Kipyego grew up in

Marakwet :''Marakwet is also a district in Kenya, see Marakwet District'' The Marakwet are one of the groups forming the ethnolinguistic Kalenjin community of Kenya, they speak the Markweta language. The Marakwet live in five territorial sections namely Al ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. He started running competitively when he was 28. He is not the only runner in his family who competes; his older brother

Michael Kipyego Michael Kipkorir Kipyego (born 2 October 1983) is a Kenyan runner who competes in marathon races. He was initially a specialist in the 3000 metres steeplechase and was the 2002 World Junior Champion in the event. He represented Kenya in the stee ...

and his younger sister

Sally Kipyego Sally Jepkosgei Kipyego (born 19 December 1985) is a Kenyan-born American long- and middle-distance runner. She was the silver medalist in the 10,000 metres at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and the silver medalist in the same race ...

are also world-renowned runners who compete in marathon races. Michael lives in

Elgeyo-Marakwet County Elgeyo-Marakwet County is one of Kenya's 47 counties. Elgeyo Marakwet County is located in the former Rift Valley Province. Its capital and largest town is Iten. It borders the counties of West Pokot to the north, Baringo County to the east, s ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

; the two of them went to St. Patrick's High School, a boys' school in

Iten Iten is a town in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in the Republic of Kenya. Iten serves as the capital and is the largest town in the county. The town is located along the road between Eldoret and Kabarnet at the junction of the road heading to Kapsowar. ...

, Kenya, known for strong education and athletic training. 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.

Achievements

*''Citations: World Athletics, American Association of Road Racing Statisticians''

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kipyego, Christopher 1974 births Living people Kenyan male long-distance runners Mexican male long-distance runners Kenyan marathon runners