Patrick Makau. [Photo/iaaf.org]
Kenya’s prowess in long-distance races has never been in doubt with the country’s athletes revered across the globe for their conquests. As such, Kenyans have become synonymous with winning every city marathon with only Ethiopians providing a genuine threat.
Dennis Kimetto
He is the world record holder with a time of 2:02:57 set in Berlin in 2014. The former Tokyo and Chicago Marathon winner is the first and only athlete so far to break the 2:03 time for the distance following his exploits in the German capital.
Eliud Kipchoge
Nearly broke the world record when he ran 2:03:05, seven seconds less than Kimetto’s mark in London on April 24. He started out as a middle-distance runner, featuring the 5,000m where he won gold in the 2003 World Championship in Paris, but shifted his focus to the marathons after failing to make the cut for Team Kenya to the 2012 London Olympics.
Wilson Kipsang
He became an international athlete in 2007 when he won a silver medal at the Tilburg 10km race. Set the world record at 2:03:23 in the 2013 Berlin Marathon which was 15 seconds faster than the previous mark and is the first runner to break the 2:05 six times over the distance.
Patrick Makau
He is a former world record holder with a time of 2:03:38, set at the 2011 Berlin Marathon, 21 seconds faster than the previous record. He made his marathon debut in 2009 in Rotterdam, finishing fourth before he won it the following year. Has also conquered Frankfurt and Fukuoka marathons.
Geoffrey Mutai
His time of 2:04:15 at the Berlin course in 2012 although not his personal best makes him seventh in this list. In 2011, however, Mutai’s winning time of 2:03:02 in Boston would have been a world record but the course is not eligible for a world record owing to its hilly terrain.