Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai (born 12 October 1984) is a
long distance runner
Long may refer to:
Measurement
* Long, characteristic of something of great duration
* Long, characteristic of something of great length
* Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate
* Longa (music), note value in early music men ...
from
Kenya
)
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, largest_city = Nairobi
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, who specialises in
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 ...
s. He is now the joint 6th fastest man ever over the 42.195 km distance.
Initially running 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 ...
s, he made his debut over the full distance in 2007 and won his first race later that year at the
Amsterdam Marathon
The Amsterdam Marathon (branded Tata Consultancy Services, TCS Amsterdam Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon (42.195 km) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands since 1975. The road running, road race has a IAAF Road Race Label Eve ...
. He was fourth at both the 2008 and 2009
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 ...
s, but managed to reach the podium at the
2009 World Championships, claiming the
silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...
. His 2010 racing saw him finish as runner-up twice at the London and
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 ...
s. At the
2011 London Marathon
The 2011 London Marathon was the 31st running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 17 April. The elite men's race was won by Kenya's Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai in a course record time of 2:04:40 hours and ...
he won on his fourth attempt with a course record and personal best time of 2:04:40.
En route to his second-place finish at the
2014 Berlin Marathon (2:03:13), Mutai set a
world record
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...
at the 30K distance (1:27:37).
Career
Early life
Mutai grew up in Cheptigit, a village near
Kaptagat
Kaptagat is a human settlement in Uasin Gishu County, in the southwestern part of Kenya. This part of the country, where the two counties of Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet County share a border, is used by the majority of Kenyan professional l ...
,
Uasin Gishu County
Uasin Gishu County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Rift Valley Province. Eldoret has the county's largest population center as well as its administrative and commercial center. “It lies between longitudes 34 degrees ...
in the
Rift Valley Province
Rift Valley Province ( sw, Mkoa wa Bonde la Ufa) of Kenya, bordering Uganda, was one of Kenya's eight provinces, before the Kenyan general election, 2013.
Rift Valley Province was the largest and one of the most economically important provinces i ...
, and his extended family includes
Richard Limo
Richard Kipkemei Limo (born 18 November 1980) is a Kenyan athlete. He specializes in long distance track events. He won the 5000 m gold medal at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics.
Limo was born in 1980 in Cheptigit village, Uasin G ...
, the
2001 World Champion over
5000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...
. Mutai began to make an impact domestically at the age of eighteen, taking third place over
10,000 metres
The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race ...
at the Rift North Province Championships in 28:09.2 minutes.
It was on the roads of Europe that he began to make a name for himself, beginning with a win at the
Nice Half Marathon in April 2006 and then a 10K best of 27:51 minutes for second place at the 10 km du Conseil Général 13 behind
Edwin Soi
Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (born 3 March 1986) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 3000 and 5000 metres. He is a two-time Olympian for Kenya.
His earliest honours were team gold medals with Kenya at the IAAF World ...
(one of the fastest runs that year). He fared poorly on the
track
Track or Tracks may refer to:
Routes or imprints
* Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity
* Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across
* Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
at the
FBK Games
The FBK Games is an annual track and field event at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadion in Hengelo, Netherlands as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1981. Its name honours Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold med ...
the following month, but improved his half marathon best to 1:00:49 hours at the highly competitive
Rotterdam Half Marathon The Rotterdam Half Marathon was an annual half marathon race over 21.1 kilometres, that was staged in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on the second Sunday in September. The event was contested from 2004 to 2009. It was discontinued in 2010 due to lacking ...
, where he came sixth.
Marathon debut
Mutai was fifth at the
Lisbon Half Marathon
EDP Lisbon Half Marathon is an annual international half marathon competition which is contested every March in Lisbon, Portugal. It carries IAAF Gold Label Road Race status. The men's course record of 57:31 was set by Jacob Kiplimo in 2021, whi ...
in March 2007, a race which preceded his debut over the marathon distance the following month. At the
Rotterdam Marathon
The Rotterdam Marathon, currently branded NN Rotterdam Marathon, is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April every year since the third edition in 1984 and attracts many top athletes. ...
he completed the course in a time of 2:13:06 hours, placing seventh in a race affected by high temperatures. He defeated strong opposition in
Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot
Robert "Mwafrika" Kipkoech Cheruiyot (born 26 September 1978 in Kapsabet, Kenya), sometimes known as Omar Ahmed, is a Kenyan marathon runner and is the former record holder and four-time winner of the Boston Marathon.
Early career
Cheruiy ...
and world champion
Jaouad Gharib
Jaouad Gharib ( ar, جواد غريب, born 22 May 1972 in Khenifra) is a Moroccan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. Winner of the 2003 World Championships and 2005 World Championships over the distance, he is als ...
at the
Portugal Half Marathon
Luso Portugal Half Marathon or Luso Meia Maratona de Portugal is an annual half marathon contested every October in Lisbon, Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose ...
in September, winning the Lisbon race with a quick finish. Mutai and Richard Limo did the front running at the
Amsterdam Marathon
The Amsterdam Marathon (branded Tata Consultancy Services, TCS Amsterdam Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon (42.195 km) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands since 1975. The road running, road race has a IAAF Road Race Label Eve ...
the following month and the tactic paid off, as Mutai won his first marathon in a time of 2:06:29 hours – the second fastest mark that year after
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champion ...
's world record run.
He began 2008 with a third-place finish at the
20 van Alphen race in the Netherlands. 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 ...
was his next destination and he improved his best time to 2:06:15 hours, although this was only enough for fourth in a fast race with three men under two hours and six minutes. Mutai's next outing was also in the United Kingdom and he broke the course record for the
Great Scottish Run
The Great Scottish Run is a series of mass-participation road running events, held annually in the streets of Glasgow, Scotland in October. The event began as a full marathon in 1979, but later changed to a weekend of shorter events. The weekend ...
in Glasgow. His final run of 2008 was at the
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 ...
and he began strongly, pushing the race tempo to the point where he forced the
pacemaker to prematurely drop out. However, he suffered in the latter stages of the race and ended up in sixth.
World Championship medal
Mutai again used the Lisbon Half Marathon as preparation for a spring Marathon in 2009 and he proved to be in good form, setting a personal best of 1:00:45 hours. At the
2009 London Marathon he posted his third sub-2:07 time, but again this left him in fourth place in the perennially fast race while
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 ...
broke the course record. He gained his first international selection that year as he was chosen for the marathon at the
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...
. He remained among the leading pack and the race came down to a duel between Mutai and
Abel Kirui
Abel Kirui (born 6 April 1982) is a long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathons. He had back-to-back wins in the World Championship marathon in 2009 and 2011. Kirui won in 2009 with a time of 2:06:54, then defended his title with ...
in the latter stages. It was Kirui who took the lead to claim the title, but Mutai took the
silver medal
A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...
in a time of 2:07:48 hours, which was the second fastest ever run at the event. He set a half marathon best at the end of the year, running 1:00:39 for second place behind
Silas Sang
Silas Kipngetich Sang (born 21 August 1978) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who mainly competes in half marathon competitions. He is a three-time winner of the Portugal Half Marathon and set his personal best of 1:00:20 hours at the race in 2009. ...
at the Portugal Half Marathon.
He ran on home turf at the beginning of 2010, coming third at the
Discovery Half Marathon
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discover ...
in Eldoret. He followed this with another personal best in Lisbon, approaching the hour mark with a time of 1:00:03 for third while
Zersenay Tadese
Zersenay Tadese (Tigrinya: ዘርእሰናይ ታደሰ; born 8 February 1982) is an Eritrean long-distance track and road running athlete. He held the men's half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018. His bronze medal in the 10,000 metres ...
won in a world record time. At the
2010 London Marathon
The 2010 London Marathon was the 30th running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 25 April. The elite men's race was won by Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede in a time of 2:05:19 hours and the elite women's ...
, Mutai could not keep pace with eventual winner
Tsegaye Kebede, but he persevered nevertheless and made the podium for the first time, finishing in 2:06:23 for second place – his best ever placing at the race. The
2010 New York City Marathon was a closer affair, as Mutai and
Gebre Gebremariam
Gebregziabher Gebremariam (born September 10, 1984 in Tigray) is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner. He established himself at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, winning the junior title in 2002 and two silver medals in the senio ...
were neck-and-neck after 40 km, but Mutai was again relegated to second as his rival pulled away to win.
Breakthrough at 2011 London Marathon
Mutai won his first
World Marathon Major
The World Marathon Majors (WMM) (known for sponsorship reasons as the Abbott World Marathon Majors) is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. A points-based competition founded on six major marathon races reco ...
event in April 2011, taking the title at the
2011 London Marathon
The 2011 London Marathon was the 31st running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 17 April. The elite men's race was won by Kenya's Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai in a course record time of 2:04:40 hours and ...
with a course record and new personal best time of 2:04:40. This made him the fourth fastest runner ever over the distance. He was one of the favourites for the
Great North Run
The Great North Run (branded the Simplyhealth Great North Run for sponsorship purposes) is the largest half marathon in the world, taking place annually in North East England each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South ...
, but it was half marathon specialist
Martin Mathathi
Martin Irungu Mathathi (born 25 December 1985 in Nyahururu) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who competes in track, cross country and road running events. Mathathi won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships in O ...
who took the honours and Mutai finished in third. His next major race was the
2011 New York City Marathon and his time of 2:06:28 hours was faster than the course record, although he was second place to
Geoffrey Mutai
Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 ...
. He attempted to defend his title at the
2012 London Marathon, but ended up in seventh some way off the winner
Wilson Kipsang
Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (born 15 March 1982) is a Kenyan professional athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer O ...
. Following the injury of
Moses Mosop, he was drafted into the
Kenyan Olympic marathon team as a replacement.
Achievements
*
All results regarding marathon and half marathon
References
External links
*
Marathoninfo profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutai, Emmanuel
1984 births
Living people
Kenyan male long-distance runners
Kenyan male marathon runners
People from Rift Valley Province
London Marathon male winners
Olympic athletes of Kenya
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
World Athletics Championships medalists