Rita Jeptoo Sitienei (born 15 February 1981 in Eldoret) is a Kenyan marathon runner. She won the 2006 Boston Marathon, setting her personal best of 2:23:38 hours. She has also won marathons in Stockholm and Milan, as well as having represented Kenya in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. She was the bronze medallist at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships.
Jeptoo won the 2004 Stockholm Marathon, her first marathon race, and then took a consecutive victory at the Milan Marathon. She finished third in the 2005 Turin Marathon and seventh at the 2005 World Championships. The next year she competed over shorter distances, taking the title at the Paris Half Marathon and winning the bronze medal at the 2006 World Road Running Championships.
Her personal best time of 2:23:38 hours came at the 2006 Boston Marathon, where she defeated all comers to win the prestigious race. She was fourth at the New York City Marathon that same year. In 2007, she finished fourth in Boston, attempting to defend her title, and was quoted as saying, "I never felt good in the cold. I couldn't get my body in a rhythm." She won the Lisbon Half Marathon and Paris Half Marathon that year, later going on to take seventh place in the marathon at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. She ended her 2007 with a new course record at the Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race, earning US$50,000 as a result.
Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi ( /ˈmɛb kəˈflɛzɡi/; Ge'ez: መብራህቶም ክፍልእዝጊ mebrāhtōm kifl'igzī; born May 5, 1975 in Asmara, Eritrea) is an American athlete, specializing in long distance running. He and his family were refugees from Eritrea via Italy to the United States, when he was age 12. He began running while in an American Junior High School in San Diego, going on to win both the 1600 meters and 3200 meters at the CIF California State Championships in 1994 for San Diego High School.
The distinction of Meb's homegrown American running history differentiated him from other African-born elite athletes, such as Bernard Lagat, whose change of domicile and citizenship had been for largely competitive reasons. Meb Keflezighi became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1998, the same year in which he graduated from UCLA. While at UCLA Meb received numerous All-American awards and other accolades. He won four NCAA championships during the 1996-97 season, including the cross-country title, the 10,000 meters outdoors and the 5000 meters indoors and outdoors titles in track.
Eliud Kipchoge (born 5 November 1984 in Kapsisiywa, Nandi District) is a Kenyan long distance runner who has won medals at Olympic and World level.
He came to prominence in 2003 by winning the junior race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, setting a world junior record over 5000 metres on the track and then becoming world champion at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. An Olympic 5000 m bronze for Kenya followed at the 2004 Athens Olympics and he took another bronze at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
A series of silver medals came, starting at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics before another runner-up placing at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He was fifth at the 2009 World Championships but again reached the podium at the 2010 Commonwealth Games; he was second behind Moses Kipsiro in both the 5000 m and 10,000 metres. He has won four medals at editions of the annual IAAF World Athletics Final and is a five-time 5000 m finalist at the World Championships.
His 3000 metres best of 7:27.72 ranks him among the top ten at the distance and his 5000 m best of 12:46.53 makes him the fourth fastest ever in the event.