Sarah Chepchirchir (born 27 July 1984 in

Nandi County Nandi County is a county in Kenya in the North Rift, occupying an area of 2,884.4 square kilometres. Its capital, Kapsabet, is the largest town in the county while other towns include Mosoriot, Tinderet, Kobujoi, Kaiboi, Kabiyet and Nandi H ...

) 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 competes in

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

competitions in distances ranging from

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 ...

s to 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 shortcu ...

. Chepchirchir had been banned twice in her career for doping violations. Her first ban was for four years from 2019 to 2023 and the second ban is for eight years from 2023 to 2031.

Career

She started her professional career by running in races in France. In 2008, she had top three finishes in the Saint-Pol, Auray-Vannes and Le Lion Half Marathons. She made her impact on the scene in 2009, winning the Maroilles 20K and Auray-Vannes Half Marathon. A runner-up finish at the Course Paris-Versailles, a third place at the 20 Kilomètres de Paris, then a personal best of 71:54 minutes at the

Reims à Toutes Jambes Reims à Toutes Jambes (''English: Reims at Full Speed'') is an annual road running event held in Reims, France in the month of October. First held in 1984, the competition comprises three main parts: a 42.195 km marathon, a 21.0975 km ha ...

half marathon cemented her place among the country's top road runners.Sarah Chepchirchir
Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2013-10-15. In the 2010 season she was in the top three at the Corrida de Langueux, Maroilles 20K and

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 ...

– at the latter she ran a personal best time of 69:27 minutes. This helped her earn her first international selection: at the

2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Nanning, China on 16 October 2010. The competition took place on the city streets, beginning and ending at Wuxiang Square, with a total prize purse of US$245,000 at stake. The Kenyan at ...

she placed eleventh. She topped the podium at the Auray-Vannes and

Boulogne-Billancourt Half Marathon The Boulogne-Billancourt Half Marathon () is an annual road running event over the half marathon distance which takes place in November in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. The event was first organised in 1997 by the Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billanc ...

s that year. Chepchirchir was in the top two of all her French road races in 2011, including victories at the Le Puy-en-Velay 15K and the Humarathon (where she ran a course record and personal best of 68:07 minutes). In her second international outing for Kenya she placed fifth at the

2011 All-Africa Games The 10th All-Africa Games (), also known as Maputo 2010, took place between September 3–18, 2011 in Maputo, Mozambique. Maputo's hosting marked the third time the Games was held in the southern part of the continent. Host awarding In April 20 ...

half marathon. In 2012, she ran two sub-70-minute half marathons but this was only enough for third in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and fifth in Lille. She claimed the course record at the 2013 Paris 20K with a run of 1:05:03 hours, and also won the Ndakaini Marathon in Kenya.

Doping bans

Chepchirchir received a four year ban in 2019 for abnormalities in her athlete blood passport. That ban ended on 5 February 2023. On 22 December 2023 she was provisionally suspended following an adverse analytical finding for testosterone in a sample collected at a marathon in Thailand in 8 November 2023. On 13 February 2024 the

Athletics Integrity Unit The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is a Monaco-based organization founded by World Athletics in April 2017 to combat doping and address other forms of ethical misconduct in the sport of athletics. It operates independently from World Athletics ...

announced that Chepchirchir had been found guilty of doping with

testosterone Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

, and banned from athletics for eight years to run from 22 December 2023 until 21 December 2031.

Personal bests

– 31:25 minutes (2012) * 20 kilometres – 1:05:01 hours (2013) *

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 ...

– 1:08:07 hours (2011) *

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 ...

– 2:19:47 hours (2017)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chepchirchir, Sarah Living people 1984 births Athletes from Nandi County Kenyan female long-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 All-Africa Games African Games athletes for Kenya Doping cases in athletics Kenyan sportspeople in doping cases