Sharon Jemutai Cherop (born 16 March 1984) 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 in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance running comes two d ...

who specialises in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , 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 are also wheelchair di ...

. She won a bronze medal at the age of sixteen in the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

at the World Junior Championships. She was the bronze medal winner 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 ...

and won the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several 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 ...

in 2012. After her junior medals, it was not until 2010 that she enjoyed senior level success. She made her marathon debut at the

Twin Cities Marathon The Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) is an annual 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 wind ...

(coming third) and won her first marathons in 2010, first at the

Hamburg Marathon The Hamburg Marathon (german: 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 Gold Label Road Race by World Athlet ...

and then at the

Toronto Waterfront Marathon The Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race. The race has quickly become an elite level marathon and is one of just five World A ...

, which she won in 2:22:42 for the fastest marathon time on Canadian soil. Her personal best of 2:22:39 was set at the 2012

Dubai Marathon The Dubai Marathon is an annual road-based marathon hosted by Dubai, United Arab Emirates, since 1998. The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. History Initial era The inaugural Dubai Marathon was held ...

Career

Early competition

Cherop grew up in a family of cattle-raisers in the

Marakwet District Marakwet District is a defunct administrative district in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Kapsowar. The district had a population of 140.629. Local people are predominantly of the Marakwet tribe. The district was cre ...

of Kenya. She and all three of her siblings took up athletics at a young age. She ran for her school, Tirap Primary School, and began competing at province level at age 13. She was inspired by

Catherine Ndereba Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a Kenyan marathon runner. She has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008. She is ...

, who lived locally, and Evans Rutto (another local marathoner) promised to help her if she performed well.Komen, Jonathan (14 August 2011)
Cherop Leads Nation's Charge for Marathon Crown
''Daily Nation'' (Kenya). Retrieved on 27 November 2011. Cherop's first major competition was the

1999 All-Africa Games The 7th All-Africa Games were held from September 10, 1999, to September 19, 1999, in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa. 53 countries participated in eighteen sports. Netball was included as a demonstration sport. The South Africans hosted abou ...

at the age of 15, but she did not make the podium, coming in fourth place. She was the bronze medallist over

at the

2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics were held in Santiago, Chile between 17 and 22 October 2000. Results Men Women Medal table Participation According to an unofficial count through an unofficial result list, 1122 athle ...

, finishing behind

Dorcus Inzikuru 230px Dorcus Inzikuru (born 2 February 1982 in Vurra, Arua District) is a Ugandan track and field athlete, competing in the steeplechase. She won the inaugural world title in women's 3000 m steeplechase, as well as the first Commonwealth title ...

and

Meseret Defar Meseret Defar Tola ( Amharic: መሠረት ደፋር; born 19 November 1983) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including ...

. She started training with Sing'ore Girls, under running coach Boniface Tiren, and worked alongside other promising young runners, including future world champions

Janeth Jepkosgei Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei (born 13 December 1983) is a Kenyan middle distance runner and former world champion. Early career Janeth, nicknamed "Eldoret Express" is from Kabirirsang, near Kapsabet. Famous athletes Wilson Kipketer and Wilfre ...

and

Vivian Cheruiyot Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot (born 11 September 1983) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in track and cross country running. She represented Kenya at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2016, winning a silver medal at the ...

. A knee injury cut short her running season in 2001. At the Discovery Kenya Great Rift Cross Country in January 2002 she took third place in the senior race behind race winner Joan Jepkorir Aiyabei. She also had national success on the track, winning the 5000 m at the 2004

Athletics Kenya Athletics Kenya (AK) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (track and field) in Kenya. It is a member of World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan tea ...

meet. At the Kenya Police Cross Country Championships in January 2005 she took third place in the 8 km race behind Olympic medallist

Isabella Ochichi Isabella Bosibori Ochichi (born October 28, 1979, in Kisii District) from Kenya was the silver medal winner in the final of the women's 5,000 meter race at the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece. She finished in a time of 14:48.19, abou ...

and Cross Country medallist Jane Gakunyi. She entered 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 ...

section of 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 p ...

in October 2005 and she was runner-up behind Lineth Chepkirui. She returned to the

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open ...

circuit a month later and was third at one of the AK meetings. She took part in the inaugural Shoe4Africa Women's 10km race in

Iten Iten is a town in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in the Republic of Kenya. Iten serves as the capital and is the largest town in the county. The town is located along the road between Eldoret and Kabarnet at the junction of the road heading to Kapsowa ...

and ran a personal best of 36:02 to take second behind Doris Changeywo. The 21-year-old Cherop had begun training with a prominent group of road athletes, including

Chicago Marathon The Chicago Marathon is a marathon (long-distance foot race) held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Races, World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago ...

winner Evans Rutto and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

champion Lameck Aguta. She began focusing more on road competitions and was third at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Race at the end of the year. She was fifth at the 15th Discovery Kenya Cross Country Championships in January 2007.

Marathon debut

Cherop made her debut on the American road running circuit later that year, starting with a win at the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in a time of 1:12:26, and then a fourth-place finish in a personal best of 1:10:21 at the Philadelphia Distance Run. In October she made her

debut at the

in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. She led alongside Svetlana Ponomarenko for most of the race but she was overhauled by the Russian and Alena Vinitskaya in the final mile, having to settle for third place with a time of 2:38:45. She took on the classic distance for a second time in April 2008 at the

Country Music Marathon The Rock 'n' Roll Nashville Marathon, previously known as the Country Music Marathon (2000–2015), is an annual marathon, half marathon, and 5K run that has been held in Nashville, Tennessee, since 2000. The marathon is followed by an eveni ...

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, where Ponomarenko again took top honours while Cherop (15 years her junior) finished in fourth place. At the

Azalea Trail Run The Azalea Trail Run is an annual road running event held in late March in Mobile, Alabama which is considered one of the United States' premier road races. Runners, walkers, and wheelchair athletes from around the world and at all levels turn ou ...

in May she set a 10K best of 32:43 for fourth place. Her first marathon of 2009 came at the

and she knocked several minutes off her personal best with a run of 2:33:53 for third place. In the women's 15 km race at the Baringo Half Marathon in December 2009 she engaged in a race-long battle for the lead against