Pain of chasing glory as Kenyan athletes battle in the classic distance

The marathon was first run on April 10, 1896, during the inaugural Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

But 130 years later, marathoners say, the 41.195km classic distance remains the cruellest event for their bodies, minds and hearts.

Marathon races have thrilled enthusiasts across the globe as athletes cruise to phenomenal victories while tearing up rule books and causing the playing of their country’s national anthem at international arenas.

However, marathon athletes whose physiques have been slimmed by years of training and competing are relentlessly paying the price of keeping fans entertained.

They say they must endure more than two hours of pain from the gun to finish.

Others have fainted and spent days in hospitals after crossing the finish lines, and some athletes collapsed mid-race; indicators of how tough the classic distance is.

There have been reports of athletes suddenly dying while competing in the marathon and others have lost their lives during rigorous training exercises in the bases.

Tokyo Marathon champion Rosemary Wanjiru is among the athletes who have suffered the brutality of the marathon.

Last September, she wowed fans across the world as she weathered unexpected high temperatures and powered to a hard-fought victory at the Berlin Marathon, but collapsed after cutting the tape.

A much-awaited women’s award ceremony was cancelled as Wanjiru was rushed to a hospital in Berlin, Germany, for emergency treatment after fainting.

Wanjiru says she only remembers crossing the finish line and regaining consciousness in the hospital hours later.

“I almost died in the final 1,200m but I was determined to cross the finish line and win the race. It was tough running at 27 degrees Celsius. I was told by the doctors that I lost my body sugars. Humidity was unfavourable from the warm-up sessions,” Wanjiru recalls in an interview with Standard Sports, six months later.

She adds, “I won the race, but I didn’t enjoy it. That happens in competitive races where weather conditions are harsh.”

According to Wanjiru, the actual competition in a marathon begins at 30km.

“Fatigue kicks in at the last 12km. By the time you cross the 35km mark, your body is no longer sweating.

“At 40km, you experience the climax of the pain of running a marathon. The kind of training you did before the race will determine whether you will finish. At this point, you try to summon all the energies left in your body. You are left only with morale.

“You keep talking to yourself in your mind that you have travelled miles away to another country to run. You start remembering your family and what fans will think if you drop out. The good thing is that your family will continue supporting you whether you win or lose. Such kinds of thoughts keep you pushing towards the finish line,” says Wanjiru.

World 10,000m silver medallist Daniel Simiu Ebenyo describes the last 150m as the toughest bit of a race.

For him, the marathon starts at the 37km mark, and at that point, the marathon is everyone’s race to win.

“I don’t have much experience in 42km. I have only run three marathons in my career, but from the experience of the few marathons I have run, your body is not in shape at 37km. The legs are tired, and the eyes are not blinking anymore at that point. The body is just moving on its own,” he shares his personal experience.

According to Ebenyo, a world half-marathon silver medallist, an athlete’s physical and mental strength is stronger from 0-30km especially when pacesetters are still taking the lead.

“After 30km, you have to run with your legs, but most importantly with your heart and your mind. But you have to love it because although it is not easy, it is a career and I earn from racing,” he says.

Kenyan-born Romanian marathoner Joan Chelimo, who has won marathons such as Seoul (2022) and last year’s Incheon (South Korea) as well as more than 12 half marathons since 2011, says every 5km is an opportunity for an athlete to regain strength after hydrating.

But, Chelimo says, it’s not until 35km that a long-distance runner begins to deploy tactics.

There is a reason why water points are placed every 5km. It is because you need to hydrate.

“Your reason for running plays out immediately after the 35km mark. All parts of your body are exhausted and we are told that our body begins to utilise the remaining fats to get you to 42km. Your mind will start encouraging your muscles to continue pushing you to the finish,” Chelimo says.

After 35km, she says the brain will begin asking the body to run for a cause.

“For instance, my mind asks my body to complete the race and achieve my dream of running to end gender-based violence. Running for your child and the thoughts of how many people across the world are watching dominate your mind and take you to 40km. There is a different feeling when you are sprinting up to the finish line,” she says.

She says split-second decisions are made in the last 400m, particularly in races where a leading pack sticks until the final stretch, in readiness for the kicks.

Chelimo says an athlete regains strength at the finish line because of wild cheering by fans.

“Energy just comes from nowhere. The finish line is like, Oh My God! I was almost dead but I just arrived alive. There is no other feeling. I remember racing in Incheon on November 23 (2025) and I sprinted so fast. It was a matter of life and death,” she says.

Marathoner Simon Cheprot, who is remembered for helping compatriot Kenneth Kipkemoi after collapsing mid-race at the 2019 Okpekpe marathon (Nigeria), says mitigating pain in a marathon is part of the tactics.

Cheprot, who is currently transitioning to athletics coaching, says some athletes can inflict pain on others by sustaining killer tempos from start to 30km, but start slowing down from 32km after establishing comfortable leads.

“Athletes are usually trained to be patient until 34km before making a decisive move,” the tactician says. According to Cheprot, the real battle for honours begins at 25km. He observes that many athletes drop at 35km due to exhaustion and miscalculation of tempo.

He says athletes who run low mileage during training suffer the most in highly competitive marathons.

Cheprot says running 30km-38km daily gives an athlete enough resilience to overcome pain and to cross the finish line.

“At 38km, your mileage is exhausted and in some scenarios, athletes can lose visibility. Others lose their minds and forget everything. There was a case where an athlete fainted in the Okpekpe Marathon in Nigeria, and he ran mad. He came back to his senses when we landed in Nairobi,” he remembers.

Marathons have been brutal. For instance, in 2024, Kenyan long-distance athlete Charles Kipkorir collapsed and died shortly after finishing Mt Cameroon Race of Hope in Cameroon.

A Portuguese runner, Francisco Lazaro, died at the 19-mile mark of the Stockholm Olympic Games marathon in 1912.