Mark Kiptoo: 47-year-old athlete still in perfect marathon shape

At 47 years old, Mark Kosgey Kiptoo is defying the clock to rewrite the narrative of late bloomers.

The senior sergeant at Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) stylishly claimed victory at the Zurich Marathon on Sunday, April 21 after running 2:12:31.

But where did his passion for athletics begin?

Kiptoo was born and raised in Lugari, Kakamega County back in 1978.

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He used to run inter-dormitory races just for fun during his formative years at Lumino Primary and Mukumu Secondary schools.

It wasn't until he joined KDF in 2001 that he began to take running seriously.

Encouraged by his colleagues and superiors, Kiptoo started featuring in track and field events as well as cross-country competitions, marking the beginning of his beautiful journey.

“A recruit called Samuel Kalia, who joined the Forces as a sportsman, was instrumental in my athletics career. He and other colleagues told me that I have a talent and that if I trained well, I would be a great runner. I took them seriously,” Kiptoo told Mozzart Sport.

His bosses too were supportive of his journey, encouraging him to represent them during inter-wing competitions where he featured for the Technical Wing. They would compete against Fly and Headquarters.

“I saw the need to represent my department very well. And that is how I started running seriously. It was not an easy task since it required patience, commitment, focus, and discipline,” he recalled.

Before shifting to long-distance running, Kiptoo tried out 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, and 5,000m. At one time, he competed in the KDF championship's 1,500m final, finishing eighth.

“There was a time I competed at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret. I was lapped and finished in a slow time of 16:30. My coach was not happy but for me, it was an achievement,” he said.

The transition to competitive running was not a walk in the park as he described.

“As a beginner, I still had so many things to deal with like weight, weak muscles, and being converted from an ordinary person to a pro athlete. A friend told me that running was not easy and that years later, I would also lap some fellow runners,” he averred.

Despite the challenges, he remained determined, and in 2007, he won his first major title, making international headlines.

At the World Military Games in Hyderabad, India, Kiptoo won a gold medal in the 5,000m and a silver in the 10,000m races.

A year later, he donned the national team colors to the World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, and also made Team Kenya to the 2009 World Cross in Amman, Jordan.

Following that, he made the national team to the 2010 African Championships where he won a bronze medal. His fine form continued as he went ahead to win bronze in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The following year, in 2011, at the Military World Games in Rio de Janeiro he retained his 5000m title and set a games record time of 13:06.17, a record that still stands to date.

“Nobody has threatened it. I am challenging the young men to try and improve on it,” he said, beaming with pride.

That achievement only motivated him to soar higher. He was hoping to grace the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, but his dream was cut short.

“During the national trials, someone broke into our bus and stole our property. My shoes were among the stolen items and I had to run in borrowed shoes. They were uncomfortable and, therefore, I could not run well, thus missing out on the top places,” he said.

He would then challenge himself to another race, this time transitioning to road running. His first attempt to compete saw him finish second in the 2013 Frankfurt Marathon where he ran in 2:06:16 in a race that was won by Vincent Kipruto.

He returned to Frankfurt in 2014 and won the race in 2:06:49.

His dominance in marathons continued, and he finished second at the 2015 Rotterdam Marathon and third at the 2016 Eindhoven Marathon.

After that emotional high, Kiptoo suffered an injury that placed him on the sidelines, and just when he overcame the injury, the coronavirus struck.

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He returned to action during the 2023 Zurich Marathon in April where he won with a master’s record of 2:09:12 for men above 45 years.

Months later on October 8, Kiptoo won the 3-lander Marathon in 2:09:15 to lead Kenyans to a clean podium sweep. Japheth Kosgei came in second in 2:11.08 while Hammington Kimaiyo completed the podium in 2:11:55.

Despite winning that race, he missed the master’s record by just three seconds.

“I realized I was just three seconds shy after entering the stadium for the finish but it was too late. Nobody had told me I was on a world record pace. There are no pacemakers in 3-Lander so you can imagine how big I would have become had I set a new record,” Kiptoo regretted.

The 3-Lander Marathon is competed in three countries; Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and he could not help but smile as he reflected on the experience.

“The event starts in Germany at Lander City, passes through Breskens in Austria then it enters Switzerland before finishing at Breskens. It also runs along the Baltic Sea,” he said.

When we inquired about what makes him competitive despite his age, Kiptoo smiled, noting that one needs to understand their body to condition and command it.

“I always tell my body what it can achieve and there is a lot that you need to do. I realised that whatever we put in our body is what will come out in terms of training. But don’t train too much, listen to your body too. If it requires some rest then do it but training should be daily,” he narrates.

“Through commitment, focus, and discipline, there is much that we can achieve as long as we don’t rush the process. Also, consider what you feed your body with. Maintain a diet.”

The experienced athlete called on his fellow elites to support and take care of the budding ones, insisting that “taking care of young talents is like planting a tree.”

Kiptoo is the ambassador of Complete Sports where he is involved in developing athletes both mentally, physically, and spiritually.