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 specializes in the
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 ...
Moiben
Moiben is a settlement in Moiben Constituency, of Uasin Gishu County of Kenya's former 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 ...
division,
Uasin Gishu District
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 50 ...
. Famed Kenyan runners
Samson Kitur
Samson Kitur (February 25, 1966 — April 25, 2003) was a Kenyan athlete, and an Olympic medalist in 1992.
Biography
Unlike most of his compatriots, who run in distances 800 metres and up, Kitur specialised in the 400 metres. He won t ...
and
Noah Ngeny
Noah Kiprono Ngeny (born 2 November 1978) is a former Kenyan athlete, Olympic gold medalist at 1500 m at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and world record holder in the 1000 m.
Career
Noah was born in the Uasin Gishu District in Kenya. Ngeny play ...
come from the same area.
Kibet took up running in 1996, aged 13, impressed by the Kenyan performances at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
. He went to Moiben Secondary School from 1997 to 2000 and then joined Kenya Prisons Service.
Kibet originally specialized in the
steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
, his personal best being 8:25.4 minutes. In 2003, he won the
Tilburg Ten Miles
Tilburg Ten Miles is an annual road running competition held in Tilburg, Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Nether ...
race in
Tilburg
Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...
,
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 ...
City-Pier-City Loop
The CPC Loop Den Haag (abbreviated for ''City-Pier-City Loop'') is an annual half marathon competition held in the Hague, Netherlands, every mid-March.
The inaugural edition was held in 1975 and featured a 14.5 km course. This was extended to ...
in
the Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
.
He took up the marathon in 2004 and reached the international level in this event. Kibet entered his first marathon, 2004
Enschede Marathon
The Enschede Marathon is an annual marathon race held in the city of Enschede, Netherlands. The race is the distance of a typical marathon (42 km, 195 metres). It has been held annually since 1991, after being bi-annual for the previous 44 years. ...
, as a
pacemaker
An artificial cardiac pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker, so as not to be confused with the natural cardiac pacemaker) or pacemaker is a medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered by electrodes to the chambers of the heart eith ...
Frankfurt Marathon
The Frankfurt Marathon (official name as of 2016: Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, until 2015: BMW Frankfurt Marathon, until 2010: Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon) is a marathon which has taken place every year in Frankfurt am Main since its inception i ...
. He also won a 25-km race in Berlin that year.
Kibet won
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 2005 and 2006. His personal best time is 2:08:52 hours, achieved in October 2005 in
Eindhoven
Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022, In the
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 ...
his personal best time is 1:00:43 hours, achieved in September 2006 in
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 finished sixth.
World champion
Kibet won the
Vienna Marathon
The Vienna City Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195 km held in Vienna, Austria since 1984.
History
The first edition was held on with a total of 794 competitors. It is Austria's largest road running event ...
in 2007. He won the gold medal at the
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, () under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007. 200 of the IAAF's 212 member federat ...
in a time of 2:15:59 hours. It was the first Kenyan marathon victory at the World Championships since
Douglas Wakiihuri
Douglas Wakiihuri (born September 26, 1963, in Mombasa) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner, who won the gold medal in the marathon at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome.
No other male Kenyan runner had ever won the marathon at ...
in 1987. Kibet's win was a surprise given that before the race the Kenyan marathon team was termed by many as the "worst ever assembled".
On October 28, 2007, he won the
Great South Run
The Great South Run is an annual 10 mile (16.09 km) road running race which takes place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom providing an intermediate distance between the ten kilometre and the half marathon (21.097 km) runs. Launched in 1990 ...
10-mile race in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Later career
During the 2007–08 riots in Kenya, Kibet was attacked by a mob and hurt heavily by a stone, which hit his head.
Kibet took part at the 2008
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 ...
and finished 11th, but was not well prepared due to injury. He was a late entrant to the 2008 Olympic Marathon, after
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 ...
pulled out. Kibet did not finish the Olympic race. He finished the otherwise disappointing year by winning
Singapore Marathon
The Singapore Marathon is an annual international marathon race which is held on the first Sunday of December in the city of Singapore. It is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.
History
The first competitive marathon in Singapore was held o ...
in December, setting a new course record of 2:13:01.
He began the 2009 season by winning the
Lagos Half Marathon
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
on February. He did not finish his next marathon, London Marathon in April 2009, but he successfully defended the Singapore Marathon title, breaking again the course record (new record 2.11.25 minutes).IAAF, December 6, 2009 Injured Kibet shatters Singapore record /ref>
Personal life
Kibet is married to Lydia with two children (as of 2008). He currently does most of his training at
Moses Tanui
Moses Tanui (born 20 August 1965 in Sugoi Nandi District, Kenya) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who won the gold medal over 10,000 metres at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo.
Biography
At the 1993 World Championships i ...
's training camp in
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 ...
.
He is not to be confused with another Kenyan marathon runner named Luke Kibet, who is eight years older and won the Country Music Marathon in 2004.