Wesley Ngetich Kimutai (December 15, 1977 – January 21, 2008) was a Kenyan marathon runner. He was born in 1977 in Kiribwet, Kirindoni division,

Trans Mara District Trans Mara District was an administrative district in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Kilgoris. The district had a population of 170,591 (1999 census) and an area of 2,846 km� It was created in 1994, when Trans M ...

. He went to Olpopongi Primary School, but did not go to high school, since his parents could not afford to pay his school fees. He did not compete outside of Kenya until 2003. He finished 5th at the 2004 Nairobi Marathon, timing 2:15:15 hours. Al Franken and Wesley Ngetich Kimutai in the 2007 Grandma's Marathon

Al Franken and Wesley Ngetich Kimutai in the 2007 Grandma's Marathon

He won the

Grandma's Marathon Grandma's Marathon is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth. The ...

in Duluth, Minnesota, in 2005 and 2007. Ngetich set his personal best of 2:12:10 hours when he finished second at the

Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently wi ...

in 2006. Post-election violence in his home country forced him and 13 other runners to drop out of the January 2008 Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona. Ngetich died after he was shot with a

poisoned arrow Arrow poisons are used to poison arrow heads or darts for the purposes of hunting and warfare. They have been used by indigenous peoples worldwide and are still in use in areas of South America, Africa and Asia. Notable examples are the poisons se ...

on January 21, 2008, in

Emarti Emarti is a town in Narok County, Kenya. The town is located in ''Kirindoni division'', near Kilgoris. Emarti has a population of 18.300 (1999 census, total population of the Emarti location In geography, location or place are used to denote ...

, Trans Mara District, becoming the second international athlete to lose his life, after

Lucas Sang Lucas Sang (12 February 1961 – 1 January 2008) was a Kenyan athlete who participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics, held in Seoul. He was a member of the Kenyan 4 x 400 metre relay team, reaching the final and finishing eighth. He also competed ...

, due to political clashes.Ngetich is survived by two wives and three children. He was buried in his home village of Kiribwet.

Achievements

*All results are from marathons, unless stated otherwise

References

External links

* 1977 births 2008 deaths Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Kenyan murder victims People murdered in Kenya {{Kenya-athletics-bio-stub