Kelvin Kiptum: The life of the extraordinary marathon world record holder that ended too soon

Incredible. Talented. Extraordinary. Superstar. Ambitious.

These are just some of the words people from the world of sport have been using to describe the men’s marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum, whose life was tragically cut short in a car accident in the running town of Kapsabet in Western Kenya.

In only three marathons, Kiptum had gone from being a budding Kenyan athlete to one of the most exciting athletes in road distance running.

His 2 hours 35 seconds run at the 2023 Chicago marathon shattered the world record by a massive 34 seconds.

It was also the moment the world really took note of his unusual talent.

With that run, he became the first man to finish a marathon in under two hours and one minute. It left many tipping him to be the next marathon superstar and he became an odds-on favourite for gold at this year’s Olympics in Paris.

When he died on Sunday 11 February, he was just one race away from that dream. Kiptum was due to race in the Rotterdam marathon on 14 April - a run that may have further cemented his fast-rising status, as he plotted to “beat his time” in the Dutch city.

Sadly, we will never get to see his full potential. Or watch what could have been one of the greatest Olympic marathon races - a Kiptum/Kipchoge duel in the capital of France.

Kelvin Kiptum's fast rise to glory in Valencia and London

2023 was a huge year for Kiptum.

His victory on a rainy London Marathon course in April was achieved in a time of 2 hours, 1 minute and 23 seconds - then the second-fastest time in history.

That day, he was just 16 seconds shy of matching Eliud Kipchoge’s 2022 world record from Berlin, as he became the youngest runner to complete a marathon in under 2:02:00.

Kiptum, who had raced to the fastest marathon debut in history (2:01:53) just four months prior, believed he could run even faster.

“I know I can run 2:00 or something like that,” he told Olympics.com before he left for Chicago where he would run his third and final marathon last October.

“It’s very possible to run 2:00. It may not be now as I am still young,” he continued.

In 2019, when Kipchoge pushed the barriers of distance running by becoming the first man to cover the 42.2km distance in under two hours, Kiptum had not even completed a full marathon.

The then budding half-marathoner could only marvel at Kipchoge’s 1:59:40 run, which was achieved under conditions that prevented it from being ratified as a world record.

But tasting glory in Valencia in December 2022, when he was still relatively unknown in the marathon world, renewed his confidence in his abilities to be one of the best.

“Valencia… was the start of the marathon journey, and I was so happy. My target in Valencia was to run 2:04, 2:05… then I ran 2:01. But looking back before Valencia, I had had some of my best training for the marathon with some good long runs.”

Kelvin Kiptum: The man who never stopped training

Those long runs defined most of Kiptum’s life.

He began jogging down the dirt roads in his hometown of Chepkorio in Elgeyo Marakwet when he was about 13 years old. Like many boys growing up in the famous Kenyan running hubs, his biggest dream was to become an athlete.

Kiptum believed he would become one of the best talents to come out of a region that had produced other greats including Geoffrey Kamworor, a double New York Marathon winner who came from the same village.

The teenager worked gallantly to forge his own path.

“When I started training, it was with the marathoners and road racers, and I just found myself running road races so young. Then again, where I train there are no tracks,” he explained to Olympics.com, reflecting on his decision to not run track.

“I didn’t have the money to travel to Eldoret or go to Kipchoge Keino stadium to do some track sessions.”

When he was only 18, he won the 2018 Eldoret half-marathon and the following year, he finished first in another 21km run in France.

“In fact, by that time I was already training for the marathon, but I didn’t have a chance to run the marathon. I told myself, let me wait for another two or three years, then I run the marathon.”

Kiptum was self-coached for years before he started working with Gervais Hakizimana in 2021. The Rwandan coach who perished with him in the car accident, used to train in Kenya’s famed high-altitude region, where they forged a friendship.

“He used to play around with me as he was herding their livestock when I came for my hill work training near their home. He would jokingly kick me and in the long run we started running together,” explained Hakizimana, who represented Rwanda at the 2008 and 2009 World Half Marathon Championships.

Hakizimana is also the one who revealed Kiptum’s gruelling training regime to the world.

Recovery or off days were rare for the 24-year-old, as all he did was "run, eat, sleep".

In an interview with AFP, the coach explained that Kiptum would go for long runs on Mondays, Wednesdays Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. He would dedicate Tuesdays to fartlek sessions on the track.

However, further revelations made Kiptum's training regime even more intriguing. On Thursdays and Sundays, Kiptum would cover 40km - at marathon pace.

The only time he was forced to slow down was two weeks before the Chicago marathon when he became ill. At first, he considered withdrawing from the marathon, but in the end, his coach persuaded him to race. 

“He suddenly fell sick two weeks ago, leaving his body weak. What worsened everything was the acute tonsillitis, which had made his neck swollen. I had to handle the situation and told him that he can’t fail to compete in Chicago,” recalled the late Hakizimana in an admission that made Kiptum’s final great achievement even more spectacular.

Kelvin Kiptum's outlook: “2024 will be a good year for me”

During Kiptum’s world record-beating marathon in Chicago, the Kenyan never looked tired. He was calm and seemed rejuvenated when he crossed the finish line of the largely flat course.

There was little doubt in people’s minds that he could have gone faster had someone challenged him in the final stages of the race.

And, having set the fastest time in history in only his third marathon, the young Kenyan decided he would test himself in 2024 on the almost completely flat roads of the Rotterdam Marathon.

In an Olympic year, it seemed as though Kiptum would have almost boundless opportunities to shine.

“I want to return here [to Rotterdam] to run fast,” the athlete said enthusiastically in a press conference where he confirmed his 2024 marathon plans.

“This flat course lends itself to fast times… I’ll try at least to beat my world record here. I know I’m capable of doing that if my preparation works out well and the conditions are okay. And in that case, I will get close to the sub-two barrier, so why not aim to break it? That might look ambitious, but I’m not afraid of setting these kinds of goals. There’s no limit to human energy.”

As always, Kiptum was poised and articulate when he shared his goals. The man who never stopped training was clearly in a race to redefine the possibilities of marathon running.

The other item on his to-do list was the Olympic marathon in Paris where he may have had the opportunity to go head-to-head with his great compatriot Kipchoge in a race for the ages.

“I think 2024 will be a good year for me!” he declared. "After Rotterdam, the Olympics is there. I will be happy to compete in the Olympics and secure maybe gold.”

Tragically, Kiptum’s career and life were ended too soon.

However, his passion-filled words will continue to inspire other runners to seize the moment and carry on chasing the dream of a sub-two-marathon.