Geoffrey Mutai
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Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) is a Kenyan
long distance runner Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...
who specialises in
road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...
competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the
Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...
, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds (4:41 per mile pace / 2:54 per kilometer pace), though the time was not recognised by the
International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
as a world record since the Boston course does not meet the criteria to be eligible for the mark. His other significant victories include the
Monaco Marathon The Monaco Marathon or the Monaco and the Riviera Marathon (French: ''Marathon de Monaco et des Riviera'') is a marathon run every year starting and finishing in Monaco. It crosses the border to France and Italy and goes along the coast to a turni ...
. He is also a strong
half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...
runner, with wins at the
Valencia Half Marathon The Valencia Half Marathon ( es, Medio Maratón de Valencia) is an annual half marathon road running event held in Valencia, Spain, since 1988. It is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. The race is organised by the Valen ...
and
RAK Half Marathon Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. History The first event, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, but Wanjiru himself set a new world record only a month later in ...
, and a best of 58 minutes 58 seconds, to his name. He also won the 2011
New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...
with a time of 2 hours 5 minutes and 6 seconds (4:46 per mile pace), breaking the course record set by Tesfaye Jifar of
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
in 2001, and repeated his performance at the 2013
New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...
with a time of 2 hours 8 minutes and 24 seconds.


Career

Mutai started running in 1994 while at Tuiyotich Primary School in
Nakuru Nakuru is a city in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya, Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and was formerly the capital of Rift Valley Province. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban and rural population of 570,674 inhabitant ...
. He graduated from primary school in 1998, but financial constraints prevented him from joining a secondary school. Instead, he worked in a farm, but continued his running career. He was selected to represent Kenya at the 2002 World Junior Championships, but could not make the trip as he had no
birth certificate A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuin ...
. Soon after he was injured and almost quit running. He later joined Kapng'entuny Athletics Club in
Eldoret Eldoret is a principal town in the Rift Valley region of Kenya and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town was referred to by white settlers as Farm 64, 64 and colloquially by locals as 'Sisibo'. As per the 2019 Kenya Population ...
. In 2007 he made his marathon debut, finishing second in the inaugural Kass Marathon in Eldoret. At this race he met his current manager Gerard Van de Veen of Volare Sports, who provided him with the opportunity of competing abroad.Daily Nation. 24 April 2011
Rags to riches
/ref> He won the 2008
Monaco Marathon The Monaco Marathon or the Monaco and the Riviera Marathon (French: ''Marathon de Monaco et des Riviera'') is a marathon run every year starting and finishing in Monaco. It crosses the border to France and Italy and goes along the coast to a turni ...
, clocking a time of 2:12:40 to beat second-placed Jacob Kitur. He won the Loopfestijn Voorthuizen 10 km race in a course record time of 28:05 that July. He made significant improvements at the
Eindhoven Marathon The Eindhoven Marathon (Dutch: ''Marathon Eindhoven'') is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km which is held in the city of Eindhoven, The Netherlands in October. It has been an annual race since 1990 – it was held bie ...
, setting a new personal best of 2:07:50, which was a course record and over a minute and a half ahead of the opposition. Mutai opened 2009 with a win at the South Rift Valley 12 km championships. He signed up for the
Seoul International Marathon The Seoul International Marathon, also known as the ''Dong-A Ilbo Seoul Marathon or Seoul Marathon'' is an annual marathon race that takes place in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of two annual races over the 42.195 km classic distance in the ...
, but was unable to finish the race. He ran at the
Daegu Marathon The Daegu International Marathon is an annual marathon race which takes place in April in Daegu, South Korea. The day's events also feature a 5K event and a 10K event, as well as the full course marathon (42.195 km). The race begins and end ...
a month later and finished eighth overall with a time of 2:10:45. He returned to the Loopfestijn Voorthuizen race a few months later and improved upon his previous course record, running under 28 minutes for the first time to set a new best of 27:39. He had a second consecutive victory at the Eindhoven Marathon, further improving the course mark and his personal best to 2:07:01. He won the
Valencia Half Marathon The Valencia Half Marathon ( es, Medio Maratón de Valencia) is an annual half marathon road running event held in Valencia, Spain, since 1988. It is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. The race is organised by the Valen ...
in late 2009, seeing off the challenge from pre-race favourite Boniface Kirui and setting a new best of 59:30 over the distance. The
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon is an annual half marathon held in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. History The first event, in 2007, saw Samuel Wanjiru breaking the world record, but Wanjiru himself set a new world record only a month later in ...
was Mutai's first major race of 2010, and he beat
Tadese Tola Tadese Tola (born 31 October 1987 in Addis Ababa) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He has represented Ethiopia at World championship level in cross country, road running, and on the track. He made his first impact in 2006, helping the Eth ...
to the finish line. Although his time of 59:43 was quick, it seemed a relatively modest achievement given the tactical running and the race's historically fast times. He took on the
World's Best 10K The World's Best 10K (WB10K) is a road race of 10 kilometers celebrated in San Juan, Puerto Rico every year. It is certified by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS) and by the International Amateur Athletic Federati ...
in
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
a few weeks later, but
Moses Masai Moses Ndiema Masai (born 1 June 1986 in Kapsogom, Mount Elgon District) is a Kenyan runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres. Masai is from Bugaa village, four kilometres from Kapsokwony town. Born to John Barasa Masai and Leonida Cher ...
and
Sammy Kitwara Sammy Kirop Kitwara (born 26 November 1986 in Sagat (town), Sagat, Marakwet District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running events. He is coached by Moses Kiptanui. As of January 2020 he is the 12th fastest half marath ...
pushed him into third place. Mutai ran one of the fastest marathons ever at the
Rotterdam Marathon The Rotterdam Marathon, currently branded NN Rotterdam Marathon, is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April every year since the third edition in 1984 and attracts many top athletes. ...
in April, improving on his previous best by a large margin with a run of 2:04:55. However,
Patrick Makau Patrick Makau Musyoki (born 2 March 1985) is a runner from Kenya. He is a former world record holder in the marathon—His time of 2:03:38, run at the 2011 Berlin Marathon, was the world record for two years, until it was beaten by Wilson Kipsa ...
ran even faster and Mutai had to settle for second place. He took to the track in the summer and set a 10,000 m personal best of 27:27:59 for second place at the Kenyan Championships behind
Wilson Kiprop Wilson Kiprop (born 14 April 1987 in Soi, Uasin Gishu District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in the 10,000 metres and half marathon. He was the world champion at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2010 and was th ...
. This earned him selection for the 2010 African Athletics Championships and he won the continental
bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...
, while Kiprop took the gold. He was pitted against his Rotterdam rival Makau at the
Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...
and the two maintained the same positions, with Mutai clocking 2:05:10 for second place. He came close to a personal best at the
Delhi Half Marathon Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) is an annual half marathon foot-race held in New Delhi, India. Established in 2005, it is both an elite runner and mass participation event. It is an AIMS-certified course and is listed as a Gold Label Road Rac ...
and won the race by out-kicking
Lelisa Desisa Lelisa Desisa Benti (born 14 January 1990) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. Desisa gained his first international medal at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships, where he took the 10,00 ...
. He earned a place on the World Cross team with a victory at the
Kenyan Cross Country Championships The Kenyan Cross Country Championships is an annual cross country running competition that serves as the national championship for Kenya. It is organised by Athletics Kenya and has permit race status from the International Association of Athletics ...
, conclusively winning by 44.4 seconds. At the
2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 20, 2011. The races were held at the Polideportivo Antonio Gil Hernández in Punta Umbría, Spain. Reports of the event were given for the IAAF. Preparation The Unite ...
he was among the lead pack with 500 m to go but was outstripped by the fast pace and finished fifth. On 13 April 2014 Mutai finished in the
2014 London Marathon The 2014 London Marathon was the 34th running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 13 April. The men's elite race was won by Kenyan Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich and the women's race was won by Kenyan Edna Kipla ...
clocking 2:08:18 for sixth place.


World marathon best

On 18 April 2011, Mutai won the
Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...
in what was then the fastest time ever recorded for a marathon, which was 2:03.02: this was 57 seconds faster than the world record of 2:03:59, and broke the existing course record of 2:05:52 by almost three minutes. However, due to the point-to-point nature of the (overall, downhill) course, it cannot be ratified as a world record. Running in sunshine and temperatures near , Mutai was helped by a tailwind blowing 15-to-20 miles per hour. In the late stages, Mutai was pushed by 25-year-old countryman
Moses Mosop Moses Cheruiyot Mosop (born 7 July 1985) is a Kenyan middle and long distance athlete. He competed for Kenya at the 2004 Olympic Games and went on to take 10,000 metres bronze at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics. He has also been suc ...
: the two ran stride-for-stride over the last miles until a final sprint by Mutai gave him the victory by four seconds. He also competed at the first B.A.A. 10K, which was held in Boston in June, and he won the race in a state record time of 27:19 minutes. At the
Giro di Castelbuono The Giro di Castelbuono (officially Giro Podistico Internazionale Castelbuono) is an annual road running competition over 10 kilometres which takes place in Castelbuono, on the island of Sicily, Italy. First held in 1912, the competition, whic ...
, the oldest European road race, he won as it took on a 10K format for the first time. In August he ran the
Bogotá Half Marathon The Bogotá International Half Marathon ( es, Media Maratón Internacional de Bogotá), or mmB as it is traditionally known, is an annual road running competition over a half marathon distance () taking place in Bogotá, Colombia in late July ...
in a course record time of 1:02:20 hours, beating
Deriba Merga Deriba Merga Ejigu ( am, ደርባ መርጋ አጅጉ; born 26 October 1980) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner. He mainly competes in the marathon. He finished fourth in that event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and went on to win ...
by a margin of over two minutes. In November he won the
2011 New York City Marathon The 2011 New York City Marathon was the 42nd running of the annual marathon race in New York City, United States, which took place on Sunday, November 6. Sponsored by ING Group, it was the final race of the 2010/11 World Marathon Majors series and ...
with another quick time of 2:05:06 hours, breaking the course record. This made him the first runner since American legend Bill Rodgers to take both the Boston and New York men's titles in the same year. He began the 2012 season with a run at the Discovery Cross Country in Kenya and was runner-up to
Wilson Kiprop Wilson Kiprop (born 14 April 1987 in Soi, Uasin Gishu District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in the 10,000 metres and half marathon. He was the world champion at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2010 and was th ...
. He returned to try to defend his title at the 2012 Boston Marathon, but dropped out in the second half of the race in hot conditions. As a result, the Kenyan selectors chose not to send him to compete in the marathon at the Olympics, in spite of his pedigree over the distance. He reorganised his race schedule and made his Canadian debut at the Ottawa 10K, winning by a margin of 45 seconds. He defended his B.A.A 10K title with a world-leading run of 27:29 minutes. A world record attempt at the 2012 Berlin Marathon saw him run the fourth fastest time ever (2:04:15), winning just ahead of his training partner
Dennis Kimetto Dennis Kipruto Kimetto (born 22 January 1984) is a Kenyan long distance runner who competes in road running events. He was the world record holder in the men's marathon with a time of 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds, a record which he held until Eli ...
. His last outing of the year brought another win, this time at the 15 km
Montferland Run Pfixx Solar Montferland Run is an annual 15-kilometres road running competition held in 's-Heerenberg, Montferland, Netherlands. It was first organised in 1996 and typically takes place on the first Sunday in December. Unlike many elite level road ...
, where his time of 42:25 minutes was a personal best and also a course record. He was chosen as the AIMS World Athlete of the Year for a second year running. He broke 59 minutes for the half marathon for the first time at the 2013 RAK Half Marathon, although his run of 58:58 minutes was only enough for third in the quick race.Kabuu and Kipsang triumph in high-quality races at Ras al-Khaimah Half
IAAF (15 February 2013). Retrieved on 2 March 2013.


Personal life

Born to Andrew Koech and Emmy Koech, Mutai is the eldest of 11 siblings. He is married to Beatrice. They have a daughter, born in 2009.


Personal bests

(*) Downhill and point-to-point course *All information taken from IAAF profile.


Achievements


International competition


Road races

*All results regarding marathon and half marathon


References


External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutai, Geoffrey 1981 births Living people People from Rift Valley Province Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Boston Marathon male winners People from Baringo County New York City Marathon male winners Kenyan male cross country runners Recipients of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races Best Marathon Runner Award