Wilfred Kibet Kigen (born 23 February 1975) is a Kenyan

long distance runner Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music men ...

who primarily competes 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 ...

races in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. His personal best for the distance is 2:07:33 hours, set in 2007. He is a three-time winner of the

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 ...

and won the

Hamburg Marathon The Hamburg Marathon (german: Hamburg-Marathon) is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of held in Hamburg, Germany. In 2009, 13,938 participants were counted. The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athlet ...

in 2010, after having finished as runner-up on three occasions.

Career

Hailing from Eldoret, Kenya, he had a childhood steeped in long-distance running – every day he would run 10 km to school as a child and his mother had been a successful athlete herself in the 1960s, winning prizes at track races in

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. Kigen was persuaded by

Wilson Boit Kipketer Wilson Boit Kipketer (born 6 October 1973 in Kenya) is a middle and long distance athlete most widely known for running the 3000 m steeplechase. On 13 August 1997, at the Weltklasse Zürich, he set the world record in the steeplechase at 7:5 ...

world record holder In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

in the steeplechase) to move to Ngong to focus on his running. It was through Boit Kipketer's suggestion that Kigen got his late start in competitive running at the age of 24. Kigen started out as a

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

specialist, but changed to the marathon distance in 2004. That year he set a personal best of 2:11.52 for fifth place at the

, and also took fourth place at the 2004

Amsterdam Marathon The Amsterdam Marathon (branded Tata Consultancy Services, TCS Amsterdam Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon (42.195 km) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands since 1975. The road running, road race has a IAAF Road Race Label Eve ...

. He improved his best time to 2:09:18 at the 2005 Hamburg Marathon to take second place behind Julio Rey Kigen had his first major victory in October that year as he knocked a second off the

course record with a run of 2:08:29 (holding off challenges from his cousin Wilson Kigen and Jason Mbote in a quick finish). He managed only fourth place at the 2006 Hamburg Marathon but went on to retain his title in Frankfurt. He took on both races again the following year and started well by running a personal best of 2:07:33 for second place in Hamburg behind

Rodgers Rop Rodgers Rop (born 16 February 1976) is a long-distance runner from Kenya. In 2002, Rop won both the Boston Marathon and the New York Marathon. He joined an exclusive club of men who have won both races: Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Ibrahim H ...

. He became the first man to run sub-2:08 at the Frankfurt Marathon – challenged by the quick running of Hosea Rotich, Kigen opted to persevere with a strong even pace. The move paid dividends as he overtook Rotich in the final stages and was first past the post in a course record, earning him 45,000

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists ...

in prize money. He was runner-up for a third time at the 2008 Hamburg Marathon and although his time of 2:07:48 was quick, it was some 25 seconds behind the winner David Mandago. He tried to defend his Frankfurt title for a third time but was beaten by

Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (born August 10, 1988) is a Kenyan marathon runner. 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 Ha ...

, who broke Kigen's course record on his marathon debut. He set a different target in 2009, aiming to win the Düsseldorf Marathon in a course record time. However, it was not to be as David Langat beat him to the finish and Kigen was almost two minutes off the record with a time of 2:11:30. Running a time of 2:09:22, he finally topped the podium at the Hamburg Marathon in 2010 after numerous attempts. He came 17th at the 2011 Frankfurt Marathon and then only seventh at the lower-profile Zürich Marathon in 2012.April 2012 AIMS Results
AIMS. Retrieved 23 April 2012.

Achievements

*All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise

Personal bests

*All information taken from IAAF profile.

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kigen, Wilfred Kibet 1975 births Living people Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Kenyan male steeplechase runners Frankfurt Marathon male winners People from Uasin Gishu County 20th-century Kenyan people 21st-century Kenyan people