More Kenyan stars defy age to shine at city marathons

To say that Kenyan athletes have stormed to historic victories across cities around the globe is to state a fact of life.

Despite strong opposition from their international peers, their dominance is often almost a guarantee.

But one thing has caused a major surprise in the athletics realm in recent years.

The country’s athletics stars who are aged above 40 years are continuing to tear up the rulebook with their dominance at well-oiled marathons.

Retirement is increasingly missing out in athletes’ plans as has been when they hit 39 or 40.

To some long-distance runners, 45 years of age marks the prime of their athletic careers.

On Sunday, 45-year-old Olympian Priscah Cherono claimed victory at the 41st Los Angeles Marathon in California, US.

Cherono, who represented Kenya in 5,000m at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, joins the exclusive club of indefatigable Kenyan athletes making waves in marathons while confirming that age is indeed just a number.

She is now in the league of aging-but-strong legends such as two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat, 46, Kenya Defence Forces’ Mark Kiptoo, 49, double Olympic gold medalists Eliud Kipchoge, 41 and 2012 Boston Marathon winner Sharon Cherop, who is celebrating her 42nd birthday on Monday next week, just to name a few.

“I am only 45 (years old), but I am feeling okay,” Cherono, a mother of three said after chalking up victory at the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, March 8.

Despite her age, Cherono never seemed threatened by the star-studded and she ended up producing a wire-to-wire victory, cutting the tape in 2:25:18 in just the second marathon of her athletics career.

She also earned a Sh1.2 million bonus for being the overall marathon winner; crossing the line first after starting 15 minutes before the men.

“I’m so happy, I won the race. That’s so good for me, the course was so good,” she added.

Cherono was the 2007 5,000m bronze medallist at the Osaka World Championships.

Kipchoge announced on Monday that he was getting set for the Cape Town Marathon in May.

Considering that he is 41 years old, Kipchoge is perhaps a young man in the eyes of Priscah Cherono, Edna Kiplagat and Mark Kiptoo as well as charity marathoner Isaiah Kosgei.

The May 24 Sanlam Cape Town marathon will be Kipchoge’s first 42km race in Africa.

The former marathon world recorder has in recent years brushed off the question of retirement.

“My running foundation is deeply and strongly rooted in Africa. The time has come for me to run my first ever marathon in our beautiful continent, Cape Town, here I come!” Kipchoge said on social media.

Kipchoge joins other legends in taking firm control of marathons alongside younger counterparts, who are also eying titles as they begin to decorate their wall cabinets with trophies.

At 49, glorious Mark Kiptoo continues to shine in big marathons and has no signs of hanging up his boots.

If you were astonished by Edna Kiplagat finishing third at the 2024 Boston Marathon Monday April 15, 2024, aged 44, and placing second at last year’s Abu Dhabi Marathon aged 46, then you have not met Kiptoo.

Kiptoo stylishly claimed victory at the Zurich Marathon on Sunday April 21, 2024.

The 2:09:12 masters 45+ marathon record holder was born in Kakamega County in 1976. He is an Air Force soldier at the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), who discovered his athletics talent at the military.

“I started as a track and cross country athlete and represented Kenyan and the military in a number of races,” the former 5,000m star transitioned to the marathon 11 years ago said in an interview.

He added: “It is while in the military that I discovered my athletics talent. During participation in military games, a counterpart discovered that I would be a good runner, and that is how I became an athlete,” Kiptoo said in a previous interview.

He cruised to victories in the 2007 and 2011 5,000m World Military Games. He is also a Commonwealth and African champion in the distance.

In 2019, Kiptoo ran 2:07:50, becoming the first 40+ athlete to break the 2:08 barrier. He was 42 years old then.

Aged 47, Kiptoo is still running at the elite level which experts say might be due to his late arrival to the event.

Kiptoo made his marathon debut at 37 in Frankfurt (2013 edition) and finished second in 2:06:15, just one second behind the winner.

In 2014 he returned to win in 2:06:49. Three of his five best marathon times have been run in the city.

His lifetime best is 2:06:00, achieved in the Dutch city of Eindhoven in 2015.