Dominic Ondoro (born March 3, 1988, also known as Pius Dominic Ondoro) is a

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

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling * Long-distance operator * Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths * Long-distance trail *European long-d ...

runner best known for holding the course records at

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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 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 ...

. He has won many other major marathons, some multiple times, such as the 2017 and 2023

Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently wi ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, his two

Melbourne Marathon The Melbourne Marathon has been held annually since 1978. The 42.195 km run over the traditional marathon distance is the main race within the annual Melbourne Marathon Festival. The race celebrated its 30th birthday in 2007 with a new cour ...

wins in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and his unrivaled four

wins in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Running career

At the IAAF-labeled

in 2017, Ondoro ran most of the race with a large group that included Ethiopian Olympians Yitayal Atnafu and

Abayneh Ayele Abayneh Ayele Woldegiorgis (born 4 November 1987) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes mainly in road running events. He holds a marathon best of 2:06:45 hours and a half marathon best of 59:59 minutes. He was a bronze medallist in ...

. The race had been won by Ethiopians in the previous eight years, but Ondoro sped up in the last two miles to win the race in 2:12:05. Ondoro finished second at the

Stockholm Marathon The Stockholm Marathon, known as the adidas Stockholm Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon arranged in Stockholm, Sweden, since 1979. It serves as the Swedish marathon championship race. At the 2009 Stockholm Marathon more t ...

in 2011 in 2:14:23. The same year, he won the Helsinki City Marathon at age 23. He finished in 2:23:24. In 2012, he finished ninth in the

Mumbai Marathon The Mumbai Marathon (known as the Tata Mumbai Marathon for sponsorship reasons by Tata Group), is an annual international marathon held in Mumbai, India, on the third Sunday of January every year. It is the largest marathon in Asia as well as t ...

in 2:14:56. Later in 2012, Ondoro raced the Great Bristol Half Marathon, winning the competitive race in 1:02:51. His personal best time in a marathon was at the

Tiberias Marathon The Tiberias Marathon is an annual marathon road race held along the Sea of Galilee in Israel. At approximately 200 meters below sea level, this is the lowest course in the world. The competition was first held in 1977, and also hosts the annual I ...

in 2013. The race takes place near the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...

in Israel. Ondoro was crowned the victor after he finished just seconds ahead of Deribe Melka and

Francis Kibiwott Larabal Francis Kibiwott Larabal (born 15 September 1978 in Kasiela, Baringo District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes professionally in half marathon and marathon races. Kibiwott was unusual for a Kenyan runner in that he did not compete ...

and crossed the finish line in 2:08:00. In 2013, at the

Lille Half Marathon The Lille Métropole Half Marathon ( French: ''Semi-Marathon de Lille Métropole'') is an annual half marathon foot race which takes place in Lille, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located i ...

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

, France, Ondoro finished sixth in his best-ever half marathon race, coming in at 1:01:32, a few seconds behind

Abraham Cheroben Abraham Naibei Cheroben (born 11 October 1992) is a Kenyan born Bahraini long-distance runner who won the Valencia Half Marathon in 2014 and 2015. He finished tenth in the 10,000 m event at the 2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (includi ...

. In 2014, he became the new course record holder at

, which runs from Two Harbors to

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

, by winning in a time of 2:09:06. The former record was held for 33 years by Dick Beardsley (former winner of the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held ...

). "I've been honored to hold the record for that long, but now it's time to pass it on," Beardsley said after being one of the first people to congratulate Ondoro for his victory. He returned in 2015 and finished in 2:11:17. It was enough for second place, behind his training partner Elisha Barno, who won in 2:10:38. Ondoro won the

in back-to-back years: 2013 and 2014. In 2015, he beat out 40,000 other runners to win the

Cooper River Bridge Run The Cooper River Bridge Run is a one-way road running event across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge held in the cities of Mount Pleasant and Charleston in South Carolina, on the first Saturday in April (had been first Sunday of April in 1978, first ...

, a

10K run 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 of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

that is the fifth-largest road race in the United States. With a strong headwind, he finished first in 29:22. In 2016, against 36,000 competitors, he won again, finishing in 29:00. The prize each year was $10,000. In 2016 and 2017, he was the back-to-back champion of the

Azalea Trail Run The Azalea Trail Run is an annual road running event held in late March in Mobile, Alabama which is considered one of the United States' premier road races. Runners, walkers, and wheelchair athletes from around the world and at all levels turn ou ...

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

) with times of 28:25 and 28:04, respectively. In May 2016, Ondoro finished third at the

Ottawa Marathon The Ottawa Race Weekend (also known as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is an annual weekend of road running events held the last weekend of May in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The two-day running event includes se ...

in 2:11:39 behind Ethiopians

Dino Sefir Dino Sefir Kemal (born 28 May 1988) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was one of three members of the Ethiopian team who competed in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom.Shura Kitata Shura Kitata Tola (born 9 June 1996) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and half-marathon. He has raced in several World Marathon Majors, including the 2020 London Marathon where he won the race in a time of 2:0 ...

. Ondoro broke another longstanding course record in 2016 at the

. Phil Coppess had set the record in 1985, when he ran the course in 2:10:05, one of the fastest American marathons of all time. The record stood for 31 years. But in the late October morning, Ondoro outran his competition and finished in 2:08:51, taking home $35,000. It was the fastest marathon ever run in Minnesota. Both he and second-place winner Elisha Barno ran faster than the winning time at the 2016

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest r ...

. The record-breaking year wasn't the first or last time he would break the tape in the Midwestern race. Ondoro has won the Twin Cities race, which runs from

Minneapolis, Minnesota 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 ...

, to

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, four times: 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019. He didn't compete in 2018. He won the 2022

in near course-record time. On November 20, 2022, in the cold and wind, he won the

Philadelphia Marathon The Philadelphia Marathon (aka the Philadelphia Independence Marathon) is an annual marathon sporting event held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the third Sunday of November each year since 1954. The Philadelphia Marathon ranks among the top te ...

. He started 2023 by winning the

Early and personal life

Ondoro was born in Kenya and lives in Uasin Gishu County, where many elite marathoners train. He and Elisha Barno, another elite marathon runner, train together in

Eldoret Eldoret is a principal town in the Rift Valley region of Kenya and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town was referred to by white settlers as Farm 64, 64 and colloquially by locals as 'Sisibo'. As per the 2019 Kenya Population ...

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

, and

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

. They have been coached by Kenyan World Championship gold medalist

Yobes Ondieki Yobes Ondieki (born February 21, 1961, in Kisii, Nyanza) is a Kenyan former 5000 m runner, who won the World Championships' gold medal in Tokyo 1991. In the same year he set a temporary Kenyan 5000 m record of 13:01.82 in Zurich. He partic ...

. In 2016, they were represented by agent Scott Robinson. Barno and Ondoro are good friends and both own home construction companies in Kenya. Ondoro has three children.

Achievements

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ondoro, Dominic 1988 births Living people People from Uasin Gishu County Sportspeople from Rift Valley Province Sportspeople from Santa Fe, New Mexico Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners