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

Kenyan The Demographics of Kenya is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics. Kenya is a multi-ethnic state in East Africa. Its total population was at 47,558,296 as of the 2019 census. A national census was conducted in 1999, although t ...

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), 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 ...

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

Hailing from

Bomet Bomet town 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 ...

in Kenya's

Rift Valley Province Rift Valley Province () of Kenya, bordering Uganda, was one of Kenya's eight provinces, before the 2013 Kenyan general election. Rift Valley Province was the largest and one of the most economically important provinces in Kenya. It was dominated ...

, 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 Alphen aan den Rijn (; or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn (Old Rhine ...

and followed it up with a fifth-place finish at the 2009

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight 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 ins ...

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 (; 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 the Boston Marathon the followin ...

, 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, United States, 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 ...

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 Cheruiyot t ...

. 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 Eldoret is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. Located in western Kenya and lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about at the Eldoret International Air ...

. 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, 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, as the 115th official running of the Boston Marathon. On October 18, 2010, the 20,000 spots reserved for qualifiers were filled in a record-setting eight hours and three minutes. Geof ...

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 ...

. 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 tribe, whereas Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot is from the

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afr ...

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 Sportspeople from Rift Valley Province Kipsigis people Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Frankfurt Marathon male winners Boston Marathon male winners 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen