Amos Kipruto recounts moment with Kelvin Kiptum after breaking marathon record
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 10.10.24. | 15:06
Kipruto will be in Chicago to pay homage to compatriot Kelvin Kiptum who passed away in February this year after a freak accident
Very few souls under the sun can match the precision and determination Amos Kipruto has poured into his marathon career.
The 2019 World Marathon bronze medalist and 2022 London Marathon champion has never been an archetypal Kenyan athlete, and his return to Chicago for the upcoming marathon is intentional and deeply symbolic.
Apart from competing and registering another personal best in the marathon, Kipruto will be in Chicago to pay homage to compatriot Kelvin Kiptum who passed away in February this year after a freak accident.
Kipruto raced with Kiptum at the 2023 London Marathon, a race the latter won in a course record of 2:01:25. Kipruto collapsed after experiencing some abdominal pains, some two kilometres from the finish line.
Last year, Kipruto was at the finish line when Kiptum shattered the world record in Chicago. The fallen hero became the first man to officially complete a marathon in under two hours and one minute. He clocked an astonishing 2:00:35.
That record was ratified on Tuesday 6 February 2024.
For Kipruto, his start and finish at the Grant Park course will be in honour of Kiptum.
“He was a man of few words and I remember after he broke the record, I met him at the finish line and congratulated him.
With the few races he has done, he really challenged me that there is more I can still do at my age to improve on my career and I believe despite his death, as marathoners we have to dig deeper in our training,” Kipruto told Olympics.com.
Kiptum’s world record and enduring legacy will serve as a powerful source of inspiration for Kipruto as he prepares to take on the strong field.
“His memories will remain because he became the first person to run under 2:01. This is a challenge to me as a marathoner,” he offered.
What further inspires Kipruto is that for the first time in years, he will be competing injury-free.
After struggling with a tendon tear in 2020 and other setbacks, he has finally recovered fully, allowing him to train at his peak and perform without limitations.
“In 2020, I got a tendon tear injury and I went through some low moments, but my coach Claudio and the management supported me, and gave me hope that I would be back.
I am back and injury-free. I was supposed to race in London [2024], but it was late. I tried to treat it, but I decided to be patient and focus on the treatment, but now I am focused on the next race,” he offered.
Kipruto competed at Tokyo 2020 Olympics but his second marathon victory on the streets of London solidified his reputation as a serious contender for the world record. He will be looking to show the world what he is made of come Sunday 13 October.
“I have a big challenge and a big task ahead of me. I know I must work hard so that I can prove that I can still [win]. My goal is to try to run a personal best.
I want to show the world that I am still the kind of athlete who is capable of winning a major,” he concluded.
Fellow countrymen Vincent Ngetich and debutant Daniel Ebenyo are also in the elite field.
