Dominic Ondoro (born March 3, 1988, also known as Pius Dominic Ondoro) is a

Kenyan The Demographics of Kenya is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics. Kenya is a multi-ethnic state in East Africa. Its total population was at 47,558,296 as of the 2019 census. A national census was conducted in 1999, although t ...

long-distance Long distance or Long-distance may refer to: *Long-distance calling *Long-distance operator *Long-distance relationship * Long-distance train *Long-distance anchor pylon, see dead-end tower Footpaths *Long-distance trail *European long-dista ...

runner best known for holding the course records at

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

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 the

Twin Cities Marathon The Twin Cities Marathon is a marathon in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area which normally takes place the first weekend in October. The race is often called "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America" due to a course that winds through down ...

. He has won many other major marathons, some multiple times, such as the 2017 and 2023

Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently wit ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, his two

Melbourne Marathon The Melbourne Marathon has been held annually since 1978. The 42.195 km run over the traditional marathon distance is the main race within the annual Melbourne Marathon Festival. The race celebrated its 30th birthday in 2007 with a new cour ...

wins in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and his unrivaled four

wins in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Running career

At the IAAF-labeled

in 2017, Ondoro ran most of the race with a large group that included Ethiopian Olympians Yitayal Atnafu and

Abayneh Ayele Abayneh Ayele Woldegiorgis (born 4 November 1987) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes mainly in road running events. He holds a marathon best of 2:06:45 hours and a half marathon best of 59:59 minutes. He was a bronze medallist in t ...

. The race had been won by Ethiopians in the previous eight years, but Ondoro sped up in the last two miles to win the race in 2:12:05. Ondoro finished second at the

Stockholm Marathon The Stockholm Marathon, known as the adidas Stockholm Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon arranged in Stockholm, Sweden, since 1979. It serves as the Swedish marathon championship race. At the 2009 Stockholm Marathon more tha ...

in 2011 in 2:14:23. The same year, he won the Helsinki City Marathon at age 23. He finished in 2:23:24. In 2012, he finished ninth in the

Mumbai Marathon The Mumbai Marathon (known as the Tata Mumbai Marathon for sponsorship reasons by Tata Group), is an annual international marathon held in Mumbai, India, on the third Sunday of January every year. It is the largest marathon in Asia as well as th ...

in 2:14:56. Later in 2012, Ondoro raced the Great Bristol Half Marathon, winning the competitive race in 1:02:51. His personal best time in a marathon was at the

Tiberias Marathon The Tiberias Marathon is an annual marathon road race held along the Sea of Galilee in Israel. At approximately 200 meters below sea level, this is the lowest course in the world. The competition was first held in 1977, and also hosts the annual I ...

in 2013. The race takes place near the

Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee (, Judeo-Aramaic languages, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ), also called Lake Tiberias, Genezareth Lake or Kinneret, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth ...

in Israel. Ondoro was crowned the victor after he finished just seconds ahead of Deribe Melka and

Francis Kibiwott Larabal Francis Kibiwott Larabal (born 15 September 1978 in Kasiela, Baringo District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes professionally in half marathon and marathon races. Kibiwott was unusual for a Kenyan runner in that he did not compete ...

and crossed the finish line in 2:08:00. In 2013, at the

Lille Half Marathon The Lille Métropole Half Marathon ( French: ''Semi-Marathon de Lille Métropole'') is an annual half marathon foot race which takes place in Lille, France, in early September. First organised by the Association de Promotion des Événements Lil ...

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

, France, Ondoro finished sixth in his best-ever half marathon race, coming in at 1:01:32, a few seconds behind

Abraham Cheroben Abraham Naibei Cheroben (born 11 October 1992) is a Kenyan born Bahraini long-distance runner who won the Valencia Half Marathon in 2014 and 2015. He finished tenth in the 10,000 m event at the 2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympic ...

. In 2014, he became the new course record holder at

, which runs from Two Harbors to

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, by winning in a time of 2:09:06. The former record was held for 33 years by Dick Beardsley (former winner of the

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

). "I've been honored to hold the record for that long, but now it's time to pass it on," Beardsley said after being one of the first people to congratulate Ondoro for his victory. He returned in 2015 and finished in 2:11:17. It was enough for second place, behind his training partner Elisha Barno, who won in 2:10:38. Ondoro won the

in back-to-back years: 2013 and 2014. In 2015, he beat out 40,000 other runners to win the Cooper River Bridge Run, a

10K run The 10K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of . Also referred to as the 10K road race, 10 km, or simply 10K, it is one of the most common types of road running event, alongside the shorter 5K and longer half ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

that is the fifth-largest road race in the United States. With a strong headwind, he finished first in 29:22. In 2016, against 36,000 competitors, he won again, finishing in 29:00. The prize each year was $10,000. In 2016 and 2017, he was the back-to-back champion of the Azalea Trail Run in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

) with times of 28:25 and 28:04, respectively. In May 2016, Ondoro finished third at the Ottawa Marathon in 2:11:39 behind Ethiopians Dino Sefir and

Shura Kitata Shura Kitata Tola (born 9 June 1996) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and half-marathon. He has raced in several World Marathon Majors, including the 2020 London Marathon, where he won the race in a time of 2:0 ...

. Ondoro broke another longstanding course record in 2016 at the

. Phil Coppess had set the record in 1985, when he ran the course in 2:10:05, one of the fastest American marathons of all time. The record stood for 31 years. But in the late October morning, Ondoro outran his competition and finished in 2:08:51, taking home $35,000. It was the fastest marathon ever run in Minnesota. Both he and second-place winner Elisha Barno ran faster than the winning time at the 2016

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a road marathon held in October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is one of the largest races by number of fini ...

. The record-breaking year wasn't the first or last time he would break the tape in the Midwestern race. Ondoro has won the Twin Cities race, which runs from

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, to

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

, four times: 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019. He didn't compete in 2018. He won the 2022

in near course-record time. On November 20, 2022, in the cold and wind, he won the

Philadelphia Marathon The Philadelphia Marathon (aka the Philadelphia Independence Marathon) is an annual marathon sporting event held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the third Sunday of November. The Philadelphia Marathon ranks among the top ten in the nation's large ...

. He started 2023 by winning the

Early and personal life

Ondoro was born in Kenya and lives in Uasin Gishu County, where many elite marathoners train. He and Elisha Barno, another elite marathon runner, train together in

Eldoret Eldoret is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. Located in western Kenya and lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about at the Eldoret International Air ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, and

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

. They have been coached by Kenyan World Championship gold medalist Yobes Ondieki. In 2016, they were represented by agent Scott Robinson. Barno and Ondoro are good friends and both own home construction companies in Kenya. Ondoro has three children.

Achievements

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ondoro, Dominic 1988 births Living people Athletes from Uasin Gishu County Sportspeople from Santa Fe, New Mexico Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen