Kelvin Kiptum: Kenyan miracle runner astonishes even the experts and raises question marks

Marathon phenom Kelvin Kiptum
Kenyan miracle runner astonishes even the experts

By Emmanuel Schneider

He comes out of nowhere and, in his second official marathon, comes within a few seconds of the sensational time of world record holder Eliud Kipchoge. The Kenyan long-distance runner Kelvin Kiptum is the new running phenomenon, but there are also question marks attached to it.

Even experts, runners and journalists were amazed at the end of last year: debutant Kelvin Kiptum, just 23 years old, had just won the marathon in Valencia. In a time that made you sit up and take notice: 2:01:53 hours. The youngster (by marathon standards) immediately catapulted himself to the top of the all-time leaderboards, at the time in fourth place.

Two weeks ago (April 23) he followed up with an even more impressive race in England. At the prestigious London Marathon, Kiptum literally exploded on the tarmac. He came within 16 seconds of the world record set by marathon icon and compatriot Eliud Kipchoge and easily won in 2:01:25 hours. A big exclamation mark.

Little or nothing had been heard of Kiptum in the scene before. “I noticed Kelvin Kiptum for the first time through his strong Valencia marathon. But the performance in London has a different quality again,” says the German marathon champion and European team champion Hendrik Pfeiffer to ntv.de.

Meteoric rise

Kiptum is from Kenya, training in his hometown of Chepkorio – very close to Kipchoge’s camp. Surprisingly, he doesn’t have a coach. He trains himself, Kiptum emphasized several times at the press conference after the London marathon. According to his own statements, he often trains alone on long, hilly routes through the forests of Kenya. The secret of his success is simply “training”. He had “trained a lot and well”.

All that training has paid off. His rise in the running world has been meteoric. At only 23 years old, he is already teaching the big and the greatest of the marathon to fear. Instead of going through an entire career on the track like Kipchoge or other veterans, Kiptum was drawn straight to the long haul. At 23, Kipchoge was still successful in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters.

The way of Kiptum was different, who after a few half marathons dared to go directly to the long distance. The first two and spectacular marathon performances brought Kiptum a lot of headlines and hype. However, such a steep climb out of nowhere in this sport automatically creates question marks.

Kelvin Kiptum celebrates after his marathon debut in Valencia.

(Photo: IMAGO/Beautiful Sports)

Because in recent years, Kenyan athletes have often been convicted of doping – in 2022 alone there were more than 25 top athletes. The control system has partially failed in Kenya and is repeatedly criticized. In addition, there were some irregularities during the Corona period due to contact restrictions (although these were also worldwide). In November, the government in Nairobi pledged investments of 25 million dollars over the next five years to strengthen the country’s fight against doping. The East African country has been at the top of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) watch list since February 2016.

Kiptum is managed by former Belgian runner and current agent Marc Corstjens. What is striking: In recent years, athletes who have been caught with positive doping tests (Epo) or who have missed tests have been under his wing again and again. These included 800-meter sprinter Alfred Kipketer (Olympic finalist in 2016) and Ruth Jebet, who, after moving from Kenya to Bahrain in 2016, had won Olympic gold in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

In the context of Kiptum, this mixed situation naturally proves a) absolutely nothing and b) the presumption of innocence applies to the runner anyway. Only: The Kiptum show doesn’t take place in a vacuum either. There is a slight taste.

“Duty to bring” for Kenyan runners

The German runner Pfeiffer also sees a “very impressive” sporting performance by Kiptum, but also refers to the difficult and diffuse doping situation in Kenya. “It is tragic for the athlete that it falls into the current period of the doping scandal in Kenya with dozens of documented doping cases within a very short time,” says the 30-year-old. “This is a huge burden for Kenyan athletes who are currently excelling as Kenya has a real debt to bear in terms of the credibility of running there.”

Without a doubt, the performance, the physical work that Kiptum showed in London, is almost inhuman. The 23-year-old made a so-called “negative split” during his run and was significantly faster in the second part of the marathon than in the first section. In fact, it was the fastest second half of a marathon ever.

Especially the Kiptum section between km 30 and 40 is breathtaking. He only needed 27:50 minutes for this 10-kilometer span – that corresponds to a time that puts you at the forefront of any 10-kilometer run and is enough for the top 25 world annual best times in 2023 on the track (!). would. Amanal Petros’ German road record is 27:32 minutes. Kiptum ran this in what was probably the most strenuous phase of the 42.195-kilometer endurance run, which was made even more difficult by the rainy conditions in London. Curiously, before the boost, he had missed his drink bottle. “I thought, now I have to try something.” Said and done.

Brutal pace with final turbo

From kilometer 30 he threw on the turbo. He completed the second half (21.1 kilometers) in 59:45 minutes. For comparison: The German record of Amanal Petros over this distance is 1:00:09 – without having run 21.1 kilometers before. To classify how fast the played tempo of Kiptum is. The Kenyan raced through the English capital at an average speed of almost 21 kilometers per hour (20.85) during the marathon. That corresponds to 2:53 minutes per kilometer or 17 seconds over 100 meters – the whole thing 422 times in a row.

Record man Kiptum undoubtedly brings terrific ability and talent. If he keeps up the pace, he’s likely to break Kipchoge’s world record for years to come. “The enormous negative split indicates that it is only a matter of time before he breaks the world record. And probably by a lot,” says German runner Hendrik Pfeiffer.

Perhaps in the near future, Kiptum will even break the two-hour barrier in a regular run. This has always been regarded as insurmountable. Then came Kipchoge and his outfitter-sponsored Breaking 2 project. In the second attempt (the first just failed on the Formula 1 track in Monza) he cracked the two-hour mark in Vienna (1:59:40). However, the time is not an official record. Because Kipchoge had non-competitive tools at his side. For example, rotating pacemakers as “bunnies” and a perfectly coordinated permanent supply of special drinks.

When does the Kipchoge mark fall?

The 2:01:09 by Kipchoge (set up in 2022 at the Berlin Marathon) is still in the record books. Still. Because actually there is no doubt that Kiptum is still before his “prime”, the best phase of his career, which in marathon running is usually only estimated after the age of 30. So the competition is trembling before the new Kenyan miracle runner. He himself is cautious about the record mark. “We’ll see. Not yet,” said Kiptum, deeply relaxed after the London race.

After his extraterrestrial feat, the poised-looking runner must deal with earthly issues. According to media reports, at the end of last year he signed a supplier deal with the Chinese company Qiaodan. When they wanted to meet him in Kenya shortly before the London run, he was suddenly no longer available. Surprisingly, Kiptum contested the marathon in London with Nike shoes (an older model) and shirt. Now it’s probably going to court because Qiaodan pleads for breach of contract.

But he will almost certainly be making headlines on the track again soon and pushing the supplier scandal into the background. The autumn marathons are eagerly awaited. A possible goal with a blatant record history is particularly suitable for Kiptum: the Berlin Marathon on September 24, 2023. The course is considered the fastest in the world, four of the ten fastest marathon times were run here. Surprised and astonished by this Kenyan miracle runner, however.

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