Helena Loshanyang Kirop (born 9 September 1976) 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 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 ...

running. Her personal best for the distance is 2:23:37 hours (set in 2011) and she has won the

Prague International 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 ...

and

Venice Marathon The Venice Marathon ( it, Maratona di Venezia) (stylized as Venicemarathon) is a marathon road race that has been held each year in Venice since 1986, usually in October. The course starts in Stra and passes through Mestre, , and Ponte della ...

. Kirop was the runner-up at the 2006 Amsterdam Marathon and the 2007 Rotterdam Marathon and has had top three finishes at the

Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...

and Dubai Marathon. She represented Kenya in the marathon 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 2009. She is the head of the Helena Kirop Foundation, a charitable organisation aiming to provide education to girls in poor families in the Turkana and Pokot communities.Butcher, Pat (2010-05-07)
Kirop and Ivuti, traveling two different roads to the Marathon
IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-01.

Career

Born in Kapenguria, West Pokot District, she did not compete at a high level of the sport when she was young. In 2004, she and her husband, Peter Lomuria, agreed that they would move to

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 ...

so that Kirop could begin training. The couple had two children and were both out of work and she noticed the wealth that marathon running could bring to Kenyan athletes. She began to compete in European

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

competitions from 2005 onwards. Managed by

Gianni Demadonna Gianni Demadonna (born 14 June 1954) is a former Italian male long-distance runner who competed at five editions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships (from 1977 to 1987). He also won a national championship A national championship(s) i ...

, Kirop made her debut over the marathon in 2006 and quickly established herself with a debut win at the

Casablanca Marathon Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

.Helena Kirop
Marathon Info. Retrieved on 2011-10-01. She took third place 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 ...

then set a significant personal best of 2:28:51 hours to finish as runner-up behind

Rose Cheruiyot Rose Jelagat Cheruiyot (born 21 July 1976) is a runner from Kenya. She competed in the 5000 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2000 Summer Olympics. She is married to Ismael Kirui. The couple completed an unusual double, when they both wo ...

at the 2006 Amsterdam Marathon. In her second year of marathon running she was second at the Rotterdam Marathon and improved her best further at the

, where she came third in a time of 2:26:27 hours. Kirop returned to the Berlin race in 2008 and although she was third for a second year running, she again bettered her time with a run of 2:25:01 hours.Helena Kirop
.

World Marathon Majors 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 recog ...

. Retrieved on 2011-10-01. At the 2009 Dubai Marathon she ran the second fastest time of her career (2:25:35) in spite of rainy conditions and finished in third place behind Ethiopians

Bezunesh Bekele Bezunesh Bekele Sertsu (born 29 January 1983) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in cross-country running and marathons. Biography She was born in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. She took a number of circuit wins on the ...

and

Atsede Habtamu Atsede Habtamu Besuye (born 26 October 1987) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in road running and the marathon distance. She came to prominence at the IAAF World Road Running Championships in 2007 where, at the age of ninetee ...

. She made her debut at 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 ...

that April, but this outing was less successful than her one in Dubai as she finished in fifth place. Kirop was selected for the women's 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 ...

– she remained among the leading pack at the 25K mark, but slowed thereafter and eventually dropped out of the race altogether. She decided upon a late entry into 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 October and she was rewarded with a win over local opposition in

Ana Dulce Félix Ana Dulce Ferreira Félix (born 23 October 1982) is a Portuguese long distance runner who competes in track, cross country, and road running events. She ran the Olympic marathon in 2012 and 2016 and placed 21st and 16th, respectively.

and

Marisa Barros Elsa Marisa Branco Barros (born 25 February 1980), known as Marisa Barros, is a Portuguese long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. Her personal best for the distance is 2:25:04 hours. She ran for her country at the Summer ...

. Her year ended with a win at the Shoe4Africa 5K in Iten, which she had only entered as a training exercise to improve her speed. A month later she ran a personal best of 2:24:54 hours for the marathon, coming third again at the Dubai race. After a third-place finish at the

Stramilano Half Marathon The Stramilano is an annual athletics event which takes place in Milan, Italy in spring. The event comprises three parts: the Stramilano International Half Marathon (a professional road running competition over 21.0975 km), the La Stramilano d ...

, she ran a course record of 2:25:29 to win at the 2010

– a minute faster than the previous mark and two minutes ahead of the runner-up

Alevtina Ivanova Alevtina Ivanova (russian: Алевтина Иванова) (born 22 May 1975) is a Russian long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She has won at the Prague International Marathon (in 2002) and the Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marath ...

. Kirop managed only ninth place at the 2011 Dubai Marathon and was sixth in spite of her time of 1:09:50 at the highly competitive

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. She was second to

Mary Keitany Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (born 18 January 1982) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. She is the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01. As of November 2022, she plac ...

at the 2011 Portugal Half Marathon and ran a time of 1:08:57 hours (a new personal best). A best in the marathon followed in October at the

, where her time of 2:23:37 hours on the hilly course improved the race record by over three minutes. Another course record run came at the

Taipei Marathon The Taipei Marathon ( zh, 臺北馬拉松) is an annual marathon held in Taipei, Taiwan, on the third weekend in December. The event has an World Athletics Label Road Races, Elite Label from World Athletics and has been held annually since 1986. ...

in December, as she knocked almost two and a half minutes off Yeshi Esayias' former mark. A run of 2:26:00 hours at the 2012

Tokyo Marathon The is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the six World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on . It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro. H ...

in February left her in third place behind Esayias. Her best run that year came at the

Cologne Marathon The Cologne Marathon (Köln-Marathon) is an annual marathon held in Cologne, Germany. Since October 1997 the marathon has been held annually in early October, except for 2004, 2005 and 2014 when it was held in late September. History The inau ...

, where her time of 2:25:34 hours was a course record. Another win came at the 2013

Rome City Marathon The Rome Marathon is an annual marathon competition hosted by the city of Rome, Italy. History The competition has also doubled as the Italian Marathon championships on two occasions; in 1983 and 1986. The race date was shifted from the ...

, where she was slightly faster with a time of 2:24:40 hours.Sampaolo, Diego (2013-03-17)
Terfa and Kirop triumph in Rome Marathon
IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-03-24.

References

External links

*
Helena Kirop Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirop, Helena Loshanyang 1976 births Living people People from West Pokot County Kenyan female long-distance runners Kenyan female marathon runners