Caroline Rotich (born 13 May 1984) is a Kenyan-American

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 exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

who competes in

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 ...

and

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), 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 ...

races. She has won the

Las Vegas Marathon The Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Running Series is an annual half marathon foot-race run on the Las Vegas Strip and in parts of the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The former marathon distance race was one of the oldest marathons in the United States, havin ...

New York Half Marathon The New York City Half Marathon (branded as the United Airlines NYC Half) is an annual half marathon road running race from Brooklyn's Prospect Park to Manhattan's Central Park via the Manhattan Bridge, held since 2006. It passes through or ...

and the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight 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 ins ...

. She represented Kenya at the

World Championships in Athletics The World Athletics Championships, known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics until 2019, are a biennial athletics competition organized by World Athletics, formerly International Association of Athletics Federations. Alongside Olympic ...

in 2011 and has personal bests of 2:23:22 for the marathon and 1:09:09 for the half marathon. On 3 October 2023, Rotich transferred her eligibility to represent the United States in international competitions.

Biography

Born in

Nyahururu Nyahururu (formerly known as Thomson Falls) is a town in Kenya, lying north east of Nakuru. The town derives its name from the Maasai word e-naiwurruwurr, meaning waterfall or windy or place of storms. It is located in both Laikipia County and ...

, Rotich gained a

sports scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

in Japan at Sendai Ikuei Gakuen High School – an institution known for long-distance running (attended by athletes such as

Samuel Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He beca ...

).Caroline Rotich
. Camp Marafiki. Retrieved on 13 May 2012. She began competing in Europe after graduating and won the 2004 Diecimiglia del Garda in Italy and the Semi-marathon Marvejols-Mende in 2005. She made her debut over the

distance in 2006 at the

Nairobi Marathon The Nairobi Marathon is an annual road running competition over the marathon distance usually held in October in Nairobi, Kenya. First held in 2003, the competition expanded and now includes a half marathon race along with the main race. It was ...

, finishing in eleventh place. She moved to the United States to train and became based there full-time. In May 2008, Rotich won the Ogden Newspapers 20K and came fourth at the

Bay to Breakers Bay to Breakers is an annual road running, footrace in San Francisco, California typically on the third Sunday of May. The phrase "Bay to Breakers" reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks fro ...

12K. A month later she ran a

best of 74:40 minutes for second at

Grandma's Marathon Grandma's Marathon (sport), Marathon (Grandma's) is an annual Road running, road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors, Minnesota, Two Harbor ...

and won the Hospital Hill Half Marathon. She began training with

Ryan Bolton Ryan Bolton (born March 26, 1973, in Rapid City, South Dakota) is an American athlete and coach who competed in triathlon at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Bolton competed in cross country, swimming and track for Campbell County High School in Gillet ...

's Harambee Running Club at the start of 2009 had top three finishes in the half marathon at the Yuengling, Cobán, Spiriti of Columbus and Grandma's Marathon races. A career breakthrough came with a win at the

, where she crossed the line in a time of 2:29:47 hours and won "Battle of the Sexes" race against the men. In 2010, Rotich set a new 10K best of 32:43 minutes at the

New York Mini 10K The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is an annual 10-kilometer road running competition for women that takes place in Central Park, New York City, in the United States. The race has been organised by New York Road Runners since 1972. The competition h ...

, she was runner-up at the Crim 10-Miler and won the Grandma's half marathon and

Boston Half Marathon Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of and a ...

. She improved her marathon best by one second at the

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, 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 fini ...

, taking eighth place. She worked her way up into the top of the Kenyan rankings in 2011. She ran a personal best and course record of 68:52 minutes to win the

, then came fourth at the

2011 Boston Marathon The 2011 Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 18, 2011, as the 115th official running of the Boston Marathon. On October 18, 2010, the 20,000 spots reserved for qualifiers were filled in a record-setting eight hours and three minutes. Geof ...

with a time of 2:24:26 on the downhill course, which gained her selection for the Kenyan national team. She won the Bix 7-Miler in July then finished 29th in the marathon at 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 the ...

. She ended the year with a personal best run of 2:27:06 hours at the 2011 New York City Marathon. Rotich began 2012 at the New York Half Marathon, but did not defend her title and came eighth. She was among the leaders halfway through the

2012 Boston Marathon The 2012 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 16, 2012. It was the 116th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the first of the World Marathon Majors series ...

, but dropped out after 30 km. She won the Crim 10-Miler with a personal best run of 53:43 minutes and completed her first marathon at the 2012 Chicago Marathon, where her time of 2:23:22 hours was enough for fifth position. In 2013, Rotich began by winning again the NYC Half Marathon just ahead of Diane Nukuri. A win at the

Prague Marathon The Prague Marathon (also known as Prague International Marathon) is an annual road marathon held in the city of Prague in the Czech Republic each May. It was founded in 1995 and has grown to become a significant event, being awarded IAAF G ...

followed in May. Rotich won the

2015 Boston Marathon The 2015 Boston Marathon was the 119th running of the Boston Athletic Association's mass-participation marathon. It took place on Monday, April 20 (Patriots' Day in Massachusetts). The men's race was won by Lelisa Desisa from Ethiopia in a time o ...

on April 20, with a winning time of 2:24:55. That November, she placed 10th in 2:33:19 TCS New York City Marathon. In 2022 Rotich set a new personal best time in the 10K distance at the

. She finished 8th overall with a time of 31:30.

Personal bests

10 kilometres 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

– 31:30 (2022) *

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 ...

– 1:09:09 (2013) *

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), 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 ...

– 2:23:22 (2012)

Legacy

The New Mexico state legislature declared 28 February 2017 as the “Caroline Rotich Day” in recognition of her running accomplishments.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rotich, Caroline Living people 1984 births People from Laikipia County Sportspeople from Rift Valley Province Kenyan female long-distance runners Kenyan female marathon runners Boston Marathon female winners 20th-century Kenyan sportswomen 21st-century Kenyan sportswomen