What Faith's transition to road racing means to athletics family

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Since 2023, three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon had hinted at long distance racing.

And on Sunday, she stylishly put into action her long distance running dream, winning her 10km road race debut at the Monaco Run in an imposing 29:46 victory.

The warning shot was not a huge surprise for a 1500m athlete who trains with marathon big shots at the Global Sports Communication in Kaptagat.

Her long runs in Kaptagat involve training with stars who possess the world’s most impressive CVs in marathon racing as well as rising runners kicking off their journey to stardom.

After the Sunday contest, the 32-year-old, who ran her world track mile record of 4:07.64 in Monaco in 2023, now sits joint 14th on the world all-time list for the road 10km  – an event whose world record of 28:46 is held by compatriot Agnes Jebet Ngetich.

“It’s a matter of learning, to know how the roads work. I normally talk of doing a marathon in the future, so this is the start,” Kipyegon told World Athletics on Sunday.

Before Sunday, her last successful long distance race was at the Sirikwa Classic World Cross Country Tour in February 2023, in which she emerged the winner and went ahead to storm to a world record in the women’s 1500m and 5000m in the Diamond Leagues.

Nicknamed the ‘smiling assassin’, the three-time Olympic champion, who also owns four world 1500m titles and a world 5000m crown, has also previously hinted at handing over the 1500m mantle to younger athletes. Among 1500m stars to watch in the race to fill Kipyegon’s big shoes are world silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi and Olympian Nelly Chepchirchir.

“I am so happy to see the next generation of 1500m athletes such as Nelly Chepchirchir especially now that I am planning to transition to long distance. They will be taking the baton because this has been our event for a long time and I don’t want to see us losing the 1500m,” Faith Kipyegon said in Nairobi in July last year.

She has been measured in addressing her transition to the marathon.

Last December, she was not sure whether she would commence her road racing chapter in 2026, but her maiden 10km set the pace for what is likely to be a significant shift in her athletics career. She passed the 5km mark in 14:59 in the Sunday race.

In December 2023, just months after Kipyegon hinted at a marathon run in the future, decorated marathon legend Paul Tergat who was the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) President at the time, predicted what he described as a “huge success” if Kipyegon transitions to the marathon.

Tergat said Kipyegon had the right tactics and mental fitness to make waves in long distance running.