Philemon Rono (born 8 February 1991), nicknamed the "baby police", is a Kenyan

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 specializes 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 ...

. He holds the Canadian all-comers' record in the marathon, having run the fastest marathon ever in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

of 2:05:00 to win the 2019

Toronto Waterfront Marathon The Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a road-running race held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, every year in the second or third Sunday of October. Aside from the actual marathon, the race also includes a half-marathon. The Toronto Waterfront Marathon ...

. Rono is a three-time winner of this marathon, having won the race in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Career

2010: Early career

Philemon Rono started his international career on the track in 2010 recording personal bests of 8:02.28 in the 3000m in

Pliezhausen, Germany Pliezhausen ( Swabian: ''Bliazhausa'') is a municipality in the district of Reutlingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Geography Pliezhausen is located between the Neckar and the Schönbuch. Constituent communities The original municipality ...

and 13:36.23 in the 5000m in

Oordegem, Belgium Lede () is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders, in the Denderstreek near the cities of Ghent, Aalst and Dendermonde. In 2011, Lede had a population of 17,882 and area of 29.69 km2, a population density of 575 inhabita ...

2011–2013: Transition to road racing

In 2011 Rono won the Tilburg 10 Miles in 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 ...

and placed sixth at the

Dam tot Damloop Dam tot Damloop (; ) is an annual road running competition held in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. The main event is a 10-mile race from Amsterdam to Zaandam. The race was an IAAF Road Race Silver Label Event from 2013 until ...

10 miles. In 2012 he made his half marathon debut at the

Prague Half Marathon The Prague Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running event which takes place in Spring on the city streets of Prague, Czech Republic, first held in 1999. It is managed by the same organisation that holds the Prague Marathon in May ...

in 1:04:16. The next month Rono won the Paderborn Half Marathon in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1:00:58. Later in the year he returned to the

Tilburg Ten Miles Tilburg Ten Miles is an annual road running competition held in Tilburg, Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Carib ...

and placed sixth in a personal best time of 45:57. In 2013 Philemon won 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 ...

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

to qualify for the 2013 World Cross Country Championships in

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...

, Poland. At the 2013 World Cross Country Championships he placed 36th; the race was won by his compatriot

Japhet Korir Japhet Kipyegon Korir (born 30 June 1993) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in cross country running competitions and the 5000 metres. He was the gold medallist at the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, becoming the youngest ...

. On 25 May, Rono ran a 10,000m personal best of 28:18.5 to place second at the Nairobi Kenyan Police Championships in

. He went on to finish eighth at the Kenyan National Championships on 22 June, also in

. Later in the year he placed second in 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 ...

running a personal best time of 1:00:39.

2014–2018: Beginning of a marathon career

On 4 May 2014 Rono made his marathon debut at the

Hamburg Marathon The Hamburg Marathon () is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of held in Hamburg, Germany. In 2009, 13,938 participants were counted. The marathon is categorized as a IAAF Road Race Label Events, Gold Label Road Race by World A ...

, where he placed third in a time of 2:07:07, the race was won by

Shumi Dechasa Shumi Dechasa (born 28 May 1989) is an Ethiopian-born Bahraini long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He competed in the marathon event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China, where he finished 5th. In 20 ...

in 2:06:43. On 6 September he placed third at the

in 1:00:52. On 19 October he competed at the

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 ...

, placing 7th in 2:10:23. In 2015 Rono returned to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, where he placed fourth in the

in a time of 2:08:18. The race was won by fellow Kenyan

Lucas Rotich Lucas Kimeli Rotich (born 16 April 1990), Kapsoiyo Village, Elgeyo Marakwet County is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres. He won a silver medal in the 3000 metres at the 2007 World Youth Championships, the bronze ...

in 2:07:17. On 23 August he raced the Klagenfurt Half Marathon in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, placing second in 1:02:02. His second marathon race of the year came at the

Valencia Marathon The Valencia Marathon (; also known as Marathon Valencia Trinidad Alfonso EDP for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon road running event hosted by Valencia, Spain, since 1981. It is categorized as a Platinum Label Road Race by World Athle ...

, where he placed fifth in 2:08:47. In 2016 Rono first placed third at the Nairobi First Lady's Half Marathon before returning to Hamburg. On 17 April he placed second at the

in a time of 2:07:20. The race was won by

Tesfaye Abera Tesfaye Abera Dibaba (born 31 March 1992) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathons. His personal best of 2:04:24 hours ranks him in the all-time top ten, as of 2016. He has won marathons in Dubai, Hamburg and Mumbai. He twi ...

in 2:06:58. On 16 October he raced the

and won the race in 2:08:26. In 2017 he raced 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. ...

on 9 April, finishing eighth in 2:09:22. On 2 September Rono returned to the

, where he placed 13th in 2:03:55. He then returned in turn to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

for the

on 22 October, where he successfully defended his title, winning the race in 2:06:52. In 2018 Rono raced 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 ...

, however he did not finish the race, which was won by

Yuki Kawauchi is a Japanese marathon runner. He came to prominence after running the 2011 Tokyo Marathon in 2:08:37, finishing as the first Japanese citizen and third overall. He was known as the "citizen runner" given that he used to work full-time for the g ...

. On 21 October he returned to

to defend his title at the

and finished ninth in 2:13:37.

2019–present: Breakthrough

Rono returned to the

, where he DNF-ed in 2018 on 15 April, this time placing sixth in 2:08:57. On 31 August he returned to racing in

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 ...

to run the Semi Marathon, placing 12th in 1:01:24. Rono next raced the

, where he regained his title winning the race in a Canadian all-comers' record of 2:05:00. 2020 saw Rono race one marathon; the

on 6 December. He placed 10th in the race in a time of 2:05:37. The race was won by fellow Kenyan

Evans Chebet Evans Kiplagat Chebet (born 10 November 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road races. In 2022, he became the third man this century to win both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon. Chebet successfully defended h ...

, and 11 men broke 2:06:00 in the race. In 2021 Rono raced one marathon when on 26 November he placed sixth at the Abu Dhabi Marathon in 2:12:31. The race was won by his compatriot Titus Ekiru.

Personal bests

Personal life

He is part of the NN Running Team based in Kaptagat, Kenya. He trains with the likes of

Eliud Kipchoge Eliud Kipchoge (born 5 November 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized in the 5000 metres. Kipchoge is the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon, 2016 and Athletics at th ...

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 ...

and

Gideon Kipketer Gideon Kipketer is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in road running events. Kipketer formerly part of the NN Running Team, an international team of elite long-distance runners and moved to Venator Sports Management (a sports managem ...

. Rono supports

Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, West London, England. The club was founded in 1905 and named after neighbouring area Chelsea. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football, pl ...

in the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

."Meet Philemon." NN running team
www.nnrunningteam.com/team/philemon-rono/

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rono, Philemon Kenyan male long-distance runners Kenyan male marathon runners Living people Marathon runners 1991 births 21st-century Kenyan sportsmen