Martin Lel
 Martin Lel (right) at the 2006London Marathon | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Kenya |
| Born | 29 October 1978 Kapsabet,Kenya |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 54 kg (119 lb) |
Martin Kiptolo Lel(born 29 October 1978) is a Kenyan professionallong distanceandmarathonrunner. He won theLondon Marathonin 2005, 2007, and 2008, theNew York City Marathonin 2003 and 2007 and theGreat North Runin 2007 and 2009. His personal best time, as of April 2008[update],is 2:05:15, which he ran in the 2008 London Marathon setting a course record.[1]Lel is coached byClaudio Berardelliand lives in theRift Valleyregion of Kenya.
Lel ran his first marathons in 2002: he failed to finish at thePrague Marathon,but in his first finish he managed to claim second in theVenice Marathon.[2][3]He wonLisbon Half Marathonin 2003, 2006 and 2009,[4]was the comedygold medalistat the2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships,and won thePortugal Half Marathonin 2005. He made his Olympic debut for Kenya at the2008 Beijing Olympicsand came fifth in the marathon.
He beatSamuel Wanjiruto win the inaugural edition of theRock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathonin 2010.[5]In August 2010, he ran at theFalmouth Road Raceand took third place.[6]After almost 3 years without running a marathon, he participated in the2011 London Marathonas a replacement for Samuel Wanjiru, who was originally invited to run, but he still placed second with a time of 2:05:45, out-sprintingPatrick Makauat the finish line.[7]He ran the 15KSaint Silvester Road Raceat the end of the year, but was beaten into fourth place.[8]Lel entered two races the year after: he was runner-up again at the2012 London Marathon(finishing in 2:06:51) and was victorious at thePortugal Half Marathonwith a time of 61:28 minutes.[9]
In 2011, the American Charity, Shoe4Africa, funded and opened theShoe4Africa Martin Lel schoolin Lel's home village, Kimn'geru, to honor the athlete.
His brother,Cyprian Kimurgor Kotut,followed in his footsteps as a marathon runner and won the 2016 Paris Marathon.[10]
Competition record
[edit]International competitions
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | World Half Marathon Championships | New York, New York,U.S. | 1st | Half marathon |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing,China | 5th | Marathon |
Road races
[edit]References
[edit]- ^The Associated Press (2008-02-13)."Martin Lel wins third London Marathon in four years".iht.com.Retrieved2008-02-13.
- ^Running Times Magazine, June 2005:Martin Lel
- ^James Wokabi and Mutwiri Mutuota (2008-08-12).Focus on Athletes - Martin Lel.IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-04-24.
- ^IAAF, March 22, 2009:Lel and Goucher win in LisbonArchived2012-04-26 at theWayback Machine
- ^Cruz, Dan (2010-03-01).Adere clocks 1:07:52, Lel beats Wanjiru at New Orleans Half Marathon.IAAF.Retrieved on 2010-03-02.
- ^Gebremariam and Yimer the winners in FalmouthArchived2010-08-18 at theWayback Machine.IAAF(2010-08-16). Retrieved on 2010-08-16.
- ^Brown, Matthew (2011-04-17).Mutai and Keitany dominate and dazzle in London.IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-04-24.
- ^Biscayart, Eduardo (2012-01-01).T. Bekele and Jeptoo beat the Sao Paulo New Year’s Eve rain.IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-01-02.
- ^Lel and Jeptoo beat the heat in Lisbon - REPORT.IAAF (2012-09-30). Retrieved on 2013-01-27.
- ^Kenya’s Cyprian Kotut wins Paris Marathon.Daily Nation(2016-04-03). Retrieved on 2016-04-03.
External links
[edit]
- Martin LelatWorld Athletics
- Marathoninfo profile
- "Martin Lel",n°37 onTime’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"
- 1978 births
- Living people
- People from Nandi County
- Sportspeople from Rift Valley Province
- Kenyan male long-distance runners
- Kenyan male marathon runners
- Olympic athletes for Kenya
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- World Athletics Half Marathon Championships winners
- London Marathon male winners
- New York City Marathon male winners