Felix Limo (born 22 August 1980) is a Kenyan former

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 specialized in the

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 ...

. Limo held the 15 Kilometres road running

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

from November 2001 to November 2010, where he lost the record to

Leonard Komon Leonard Patrick Komon (born 10 January 1988) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner and was the world record holder in the 10 kilometres. His 10K world record in 2010 with a time of 26:44 is a 17 seconds improvement on the previous bes ...

. Limo set his record of 41:29 minutes in

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

when winning the

Zevenheuvelenloop The Zevenheuvelenloop (; English: Seven Hills Run) is an annual Road running, road race of 15K_run, 15 kilometres held in and around Nijmegen, Netherlands. It was first organised in 1984 and has grown to be one of the largest road races in th ...

race.

Deriba Merga Deriba Merga Ejigu (; 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 the Boston Marathon the followin ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

equalled the time in 2009. He won the

Portugal Half Marathon Luso Portugal Half Marathon or Hyundai 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 resp ...

in 2002. He debuted at the 2003

Amsterdam Marathon The Amsterdam Marathon, currently branded as TCS Amsterdam Marathon, is an annual marathon (42.195 km) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands since 1975. The road running, road race has a IAAF Road Race Label Events, Platinum Label from World Athle ...

, finishing second timing 2:06.42, only three seconds slower than William Kipsang, who set a course record. Limo has achieved victory at the 2005

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 ...

, as well as at

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

in 2004. In winning the 2004 Rotterdam Marathon, he ran arguably his strongest effort, setting his personal best of 2:06:14. Not only was that the eleventh fastest marathon ever run, but it was achieved on a very windy day. Limo withdrew from a possible defense of his Chicago Marathon title due to back pain, and the 2006 race was won by

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot Robert "Mwafrika" Kipkoech Cheruiyot (born 26 September 1978 in Kapsabet, Kenya), sometimes known as Omar Ahmed, is a Kenyan marathon runner and is the former record holder and four-time winner of the Boston Marathon. Early career Cheruiyot t ...

. He won the 2006

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 ...

in a time of 2:06:39, the third fastest of 2006. He returned the following year and recorded 2:07:47 for third place. His performances deteriorated significantly from 2008 onwards as he rarely bettered two hours and ten minutes. In 2008 he was eighth in London and fifth in Fukuoka. His 2009 saw little improvement as he came tenth in London and then seventh in Seoul. His sole competition in 2010 was the

Vienna Marathon The Vienna City Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195 km held in Vienna, Austria since 1984. History The first edition was held on with a total of 794 competitors. It is Austria's largest road running event ...

and his time of 2:11:34 brought him seventh place. Limo was sixth at the 2011

Tokyo Marathon The is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the seven World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on . It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro. History The fi ...

, finishing in a time of 2:10:50. He decided to retire from the sport at the start of 2013. Back problems had reduced his capacity to train and he felt the very top level was now beyond him: "I feel confident I could still run marathons in 2:09 or 2:10 utthose times are not going to get me into the top three of the best marathons these days". He paid tribute to his coach,

Patrick Sang Patrick Sang (born 11 April 1964) is a Kenyan running coach and retired steeplechase runner. Sang won three silver medals in major 3000 m steeplechase competitions: *1991 World Championships in Athletics * 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics * ...

, and said that he hoped to spend more time with his family and managing his business portfolio. Felix is not related to world champion

Richard Limo Richard Kipkemei Limo (born 18 November 1980) is a Kenyan athlete. He specializes in long distance track events. He won the 5000 m gold medal at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. Limo was born in 1980 in Cheptigit village, Uasi ...

, but might be distantly related to another Kenyan runner,

Benjamin Limo Benjamin Kipkoech Limo (born 23 August 1974 in Chepkongony, Uasin Gishu) is a Kenyan former middle- and long-distance runner. His races ranged distances from 1500 m to 10,000 m, but Limo mainly competed in 5000 metres, where he has won intern ...

Marathons

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Limo, Felix 1980 births Living people Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Chicago Marathon male winners London Marathon male winners Berlin Marathon male winners 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen