Priscah Jeptoo (born 26 June 1984) is a Kenyan professional

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

who specialises in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

. She has won marathons in New York, Paris, Turin, and London and has a best time of 2:20:14 for the distance. She was the runner-up in the marathon at both the World Championships in Athletics in 2011 and the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. She ranks third all-time over the

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 shortcut ...

distance with her best of 66 minutes and 11 seconds (and 65:45 minutes on the Great North Run downhill course).

Career

She began competing at top level competitions in 2008 and made the top ten women at the

Saint Silvester Road Race The Saint Silvester Road Race ( pt, Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre) is a long-distance running event, the oldest and most prestigious street race in Brazil. Regarded as the main international event in Latin American athletics, the Braz ...

that year. In 2009 she began with two wins in Portugal, at the Douro-Tal Half Marathon and then the Corrida Festas Cidade do Porto 15K race. These preceded a course record-breaking run at the

Porto Marathon The Porto Marathon is an annual marathon race in the city of Porto, Portugal, held in October or November, since 2004. Along with the marathon, several races of shorter distances are arranged as well. The marathon is sponsored by Energias de Portu ...

in November, as she recorded a time of 2:30:40 hours for her debut effort. At the start of the following year she took second place at the Padua Marathon. Jeptoo showed marked improvement at the

Turin Marathon The Turin Marathon ( it, Maratona di Torino Gran Premio La Stampa) is an annual marathon race which takes place in Turin, Italy in November. History The first edition of the modern race was held in 1987, although other marathon competitions have ...

in November, at which she outran

Fate Tola Fate Tola Geleto (born 22 October 1987) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. She represented Ethiopia at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and has won marathons in Thessaloniki and Vienna. She lives in G ...

to win the race in a new best time of 2:27:02 hours. She returned to Kenya in 2011 and came second at the

Discovery Kenya Cross Country Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discover ...

behind Priscah Jepleting. She won the Goyang Joongang Half Marathon in March, setting a new personal best of 1:10:26 hours for the distance. Jeptoo had a significant breakthrough at the 2011

Paris Marathon The Paris Marathon (french: Marathon de Paris) is an annual marathon hosted by the city of Paris, France. It is the marathon with the second-most finishers in the world, behind the New York City Marathon. The marathon begins along the Champs- ...

: although she did not expect to win, she successfully held off challenges from

Agnes Kiprop Agnes Jepkemboi Kiprop (born January 14, 1980) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon events. Initially a cross country specialist, she has focused on marathons since 2008 and has won races in Reims, Turin, Frankfurt, Prague and ...

and Koren Yal to be the first woman across the line, recording a time of 2:22:55 hours. This knocked off more than four minutes from her previous best and was the second fastest run ever recorded on the course. She won the silver medal in the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in th ...

in Daegu, finishing in 2:29:00 and placing second behind countrywoman

Edna Kiplagat Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat (born 15 November 1979) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the 2011 and 2013 World Champion in the marathon. She established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and New ...

. Jeptoo was part of a Kenyan sweep of the medals, with

Sharon Cherop Sharon Jemutai Cherop (born 16 March 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She won a bronze medal at the age of sixteen in the 5000 metres at the World Junior Championships. She was the bronze medal win ...

taking the bronze, making it the first time that a country had taken all the medals in the World Championships marathon. She turned to cross country in November 2011 and came third at the

Cross de Atapuerca The Cross Internacional de Atapuerca is an annual cross country running competition that takes place in Atapuerca (town), Atapuerca, Spain. Established in 2004, it takes place in early November and is among the first major competitions of the cros ...

race then won the Cross de Soria. She ran a new course record at the New Year's Eve

, beating

Wude Ayalew Wude Ayalew Yimer (Amharic: ውዴ ፡ አያሌው ፡ ይመር; born 4 July 1987) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner. She was the bronze medallist over 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics and took the sil ...

to win the event. At the start of 2012 she finished second to

Joyce Chepkirui Joyce Chepkirui (born 20 August 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events. She established herself as a half marathon runner, winning races in Granollers, Bogotá and Gothenburg. She set a best of 1:06:19 hours ...

at the Discovery Kenya Cross Country. She ran a personal best of 2:20:14 at the

2012 London Marathon The 2012 London Marathon was the 32nd running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 22 April. Both of the elite races were won by Kenyan athletes, and Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede was the only non-Kenyan to r ...

, taking third place. This performance gained her a place on the Kenyan Olympic team and she went on to take the silver medal in the Olympic marathon. Her time of 2:23:12 was faster than the previous

Olympic record Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games, including: * Archery (list) * Alpine skiing (records recognized only by FIS) * Athletics (list) ...

, but five seconds behind the winner Tiki Gelana. After the Olympics she won the

Portugal Half Marathon Luso Portugal Half Marathon or Luso Meia Maratona de Portugal is an annual half marathon contested every October in Lisbon, Portugal. A new, faster course was established for the race in 2010 and 25 km record holder Mary Keitany duly respond ...

and the end-of-year São Silvestre De Luanda races. She moved up to third on the half marathon all-time lists with a time of 66:11 minutes at the

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 ...

in February 2013, although the exceptionally fast race saw her finish second behind

Lucy Kabuu Lucy Wangui Kabuu (born 24 March 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres, 5000 and 10,000 metres events. She has represented Kenya twice at the Summer Olympics, finishing in the top ten of the 10,000 m race ...

. She won the

2013 London Marathon The 2013 London Marathon was the 33rd running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 21 April. The men's elite race was won by Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede and the women's race was won by Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo ...

in a time of 2:20:15, beating the Olympic champion Tiki Gelana, who fell mid-race. In July she won 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 o ...

by a margin of over two minutes. In November 2013, she won the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor (commercial), sponsor) is an annual Marathon (sport), marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest mar ...

with a time of 2:25:07. After dropping out of 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 K ...

with a leg injury, Priscah Jeptoo marked her return from injury with a very fast time at the Seven Hills Run 15 km road-race in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Her time 46:59 makes her the 4th fastest all-time.

Personal life

Jeptoo met

Abel Kirui Abel Kirui (born 6 April 1982) is a long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathons. He had back-to-back wins in the World Championship marathon in 2009 and 2011. Kirui won in 2009 with a time of 2:06:54, then defended his title with a ...

at a training camp and he invited her to visit the Seventh-day Adventist Church that he was a member of. Jeptoo regularly visited the church and got baptized into the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

and she also married a fellow member. Jeptoo along with fellow Seventh-day Adventists

and Amos Tirop Matui founded Better Living Marathon.

Achievements

World Marathon Majors results

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeptoo, Priscah 1984 births Living people People from Nandi County Kenyan female long-distance runners Kenyan female marathon runners Olympic athletes of Kenya Olympic silver medalists for Kenya Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Kenya World Athletics Championships medalists Paris Marathon female winners London Marathon female winners New York City Marathon female winners Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Kenyan Seventh-day Adventists Converts to Adventism