Nicholas Chelimo Kipkorir (born 8 January 1983) 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

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 ...

, including 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 ...

. He has a personal best of 2:07:38, set at the

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 ...

in 2010. He took his first win at the 2010

Nagano Marathon The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon ( ja, 長野オリンピック記念長野マラソン) is an annual marathon road race which takes place in mid-April in Nagano, Japan. It is an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race competition. The Nagano Ma ...

and had two straight wins at the Honolulu Marathon. He was the 2013 winner of 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 ...

Career

He made his debut over the distance at the

Edinburgh Marathon The Edinburgh Marathon is an annual marathon event, governed by Scottish Athletics and run in Scotland over the traditional distance of . The first marathon event in Edinburgh was in 1982. Further marathons were held in Edinburgh in 1986 and 1999 ...

in 2006, finishing in fourth place with a time of 2:17:38. Under the tutelage of former world record holder Paul Tergat, Chelimo significantly improved upon this the following year. He ran a personal best of 2:11:56 for second place at the

Belgrade Marathon The Belgrade Marathon is a marathon race held annually in Belgrade since 1988. It is typically held in mid-April and also features a half marathon and a fun run for the public. The Belgrade Marathon is one of the biggest sporting events i ...

, finishing three seconds behind John Maluni, and he felt it was clear he needed more training to improve further. He knocked two minutes off his best with of run of 2:09:42 at the

JoongAng Seoul Marathon The JoongAng Seoul Marathon is an annual footrace that takes place in Seoul, South Korea, usually in early November. First held in 1999, the race was established as a commemoration of Olympic marathon race which was held as part of the 1988 Seoul ...

, although this was only enough for fifth place in a quick race won by

Joshua Chelanga Joshua Chelanga (born 7 April 1973 in Baringo District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2007 edition of the Rotterdam Marathon on April 15, clocking 2:08:21. His younger brother, Samuel Chelanga, is also a long-distance runner who ...

. His first marathon of 2008 came at the Twente Marathon, where he was out of the medals with a fifth-place finish. He returned to Seoul for another attempt at the JoongAng Marathon race and the competition developed into a duel between Chelimo and

Solomon Molla Solomon Molla ( Amharic: ሶሎሞን ሞልላ; born 1987) is an Ethiopian athlete who specialises in long distance running, including the marathon. He has a personal best of 2:08:46 hours that event and won the 2008 JoongAng Seoul Marathon. H ...

. He set a best time of 2:08:51 but it was his Ethiopian rival who took the honours, five second ahead. He began his 2009 season at the Daegu Marathon, where he ran 2:10:13 for sixth place. He took part in 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 ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

that September and recorded a time of 1:02:25 for fourth place in the half marathon event. The typically fast Amsterdam Marathon saw Chelimo pitted against top competition. His run of 2:07:46 was another improvement over the distance, but he finished fifth as fellow Kenyans Gilbert Yegon and Elijah Keitany took the top two spots on their event debuts. His third marathon performance of the year came in December at the Honolulu Marathon and he was second behind defending champion Patrick Ivuti. At the

he controlled the race, gradually pulling away from the rest of the field to record his first victory over the distance. He came within a fraction of a second win of 2010 at the

: a sprint finish between Chelimo,

Charles Kamathi Charles Waweru Kamathi (born 18 May 1978, near Nyeri, Kenya) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He is best known for winning the 10,000 metres distance at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton. Career Early life and career Kamathi started ru ...

and

Paul Biwott Paul Biwott (born 18 April 1978) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in road running, particularly the marathon. Biography Among his earliest victories was the 2001 Route du Vin Half Marathon, which he won in a time of 1:03:05. He ...

left him as runner-up to Kamathi. The winning margin was so narrow that Chelimo's new personal best time of 2:07:38 was the same as that recorded by the winner. He won the Honolulu Marathon in December with a time of 2:15:18 hours. The following year he came sixth at the

Vienna City 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 even ...

, but he returned to the top of the marathon podium at the Honolulu race, taking a second consecutive victory. Chelimo had two marathon outings in 2012, but both were poor ones as he was seventeenth at the

and eighth in Honolulu, failing to break two and a quarter hours on both occasions. The 2013 Los Angeles Marathon saw him return to form with a third-place finish with a time of 2:10:44 hours and the

saw him return to the top of the podium with his first sub-2:10 marathon in three years (2:09:45).

References

External links

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MarathonInfo profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelimo, Nicholas Living people 1983 births Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners People from Rift Valley Province