Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (born August 10, 1988) is a Kenyan

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 ...

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

. He is known as a "true marathoner" who rarely races other distances. He finished fifth or better in the first four international marathons he has entered.

Biography

Hailing from

Bomet Bomet is the capital and largest town of Bomet County, Kenya. Bomet town has a total population of 110,963 (2009 census). It is located along the B3 Mai Mahiu-Narok-Kisii road. Bomet city is one of the eight sister cities to Milwaukee. Etymolo ...

in Kenya's

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 ...

, Cheruiyot's international debut was at the 2008

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 ...

. Since he was not experienced, he had to purchase his own way and turn in a time under 2:14:00 to be reimbursed. He proceeded to surprise everyone, including himself, winning the race with a course record 2:07:21. In 2009, Cheruiyot finished fifth at the Alphen aan den Rijn and followed it up with a fifth-place finish at the 2009

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 ...

six weeks later with time of 2:10:06. In the fall, he returned to Frankfurt to defend his title. He turned in a time of 2:06:23, a new personal best, and finished second. In 2010, Cheruiyot won the

with a time of 2:05:52, breaking the course record by more than a minute. The weather for the race was excellent – high 40s with a headwind of . Cheruiyot and 2009 champion,

Deriba Merga Deriba Merga Ejigu ( am, ደርባ መርጋ አጅጉ; born 26 October 1980) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner. He mainly competes in the marathon. He finished fourth in that event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and went on to win ...

, left the rest of the field behind at Heartbreak Hill, completing the mile that includes the hill in a blistering 4:37. The two ran neck and neck before Cheruiyot started to pull away at

Coolidge Corner Coolidge Corner is a neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts, centered on the intersection of Beacon Street and Harvard Street. The neighborhood takes its name from the Coolidge & Brother general store that opened in 1857 at that intersecti ...

with to go. Merga then faded and finished third. Tekeste Kebede finished second, more than 1:30 behind Cheruiyot with a time of 2:07:23. The previous record of 2:07:14 was held by Cheruiyot's countryman

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 ...

. Of his win, Cheruiyot said simply "I tried to show my talent." He said he would use his US$175,000 in winnings to purchase more cows for his farm in Eldoret. He became the seventeenth Kenyan to win the men's Boston race in a period of 20 years. His next major outing came at the

2010 Chicago Marathon The 2010 Chicago Marathon was the 33rd running of the annual marathon race in Chicago, United States, held on Sunday, October 10. Over 38,000 runners took part, the most in the race's history. Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru won the men's event with a tim ...

, but he was below his Boston form, finishing in sixth place some three minutes behind race winner

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 ...

. He returned to defend his title at the

2011 Boston Marathon The 2011 Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 18, 2011. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the men's race in a time of 2:03:02. In recognizing Mutai's mark as the "fastest Marathon ever run", the International Association of Athletics Federations ...

and although his time of 2:06:43 hours was comparatively quick, he came sixth and was over three and a half minutes behind winner

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 ...

. His second race of the year came at the Frankfurt Marathon, but again he was out of contention and finished fifth with a time of 2:06:29 hours. Cheruiyot lives and trains with accomplished marathoner William Kiplagat, who also serves as his coach. He is not related to former Boston course record holder

, although their similar names are often mentioned in press articles. Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot is a member of the

Kipsigis Kipsigis may refer to: *the Kipsigis people of Kenya *Kipsigis language Kipsigis (or Kipsikii, Kipsikiis) is part of the Kenyan Kalenjin dialect cluster, It is spoken mainly in Kericho and Bomet counties in Kenya. The Kipsigis people are the m ...

tribe, whereas Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot is from the Nandi tribe.

Personal bests

(*) Downhill and point-to-point course *All information taken from IAAF profile.

Achievements

*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

References

External links

*
"Past Champions", Boston Marathon.org

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheruiyot, Robert Kiprono 1988 births Living people People from Bomet County Kipsigis people Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Frankfurt Marathon male winners Boston Marathon male winners 21st-century Kenyan people