On Feb. 11, 2024, the running community and the athletic world lost a young legend. Marathon World Record Holder Kelvin Kiptum tragically passed away in a car accident near his hometown in Kenya. Kiptum was an extremely dedicated athlete in the world of running and meant the world to his fans. The loss of the outstanding Olympian devastated the world and much of the athletic community.
Kiptum’s marathon world record (2:00:35) at just 23 shattered the previous world record set by Eliud Kipchoge by 34 seconds. In an interview for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Kipchoge said to The AFP News Agency in Tokyo, “It is heartbreaking and unfortunate he had to leave this world. His career was in high spirits, and he was running at a very high level.”
One thing that Kiptum focused on was consistency and dedication to running, which are two things that are key to success as a professional athlete.
Alex Newman (12) is a member of the cross-country and track teams and feels strongly about success finding runners who show dedication and consistency.
“Dedication is what carries an athlete to the top. Anyone can show up to a sport with natural skill, but it takes more than that to beat the competition. The same idea really applies to any activity in life,” Newman said.
Marianna Saad (10) also runs competitively for Spartanburg High and says hard work and maintaining dedication no matter what is important in life.
“I think that dedication makes an athlete more motivated to work harder and therefore will make them stronger. Dedication is a key component to success, and it is a good thing to have in life because it builds discipline and work ethic,” Saad said.
Many people are left to wonder – what would his status as an athlete be if he never passed? Kiptum had an amazing amount of potential still with him before he passed away especially because he had just switched from shorter distances to the marathon a little over a year before he set his record.
Athletes across the globe regardless of what sport it is, all have a story on how they started their passions. Kiptum was said to not have started running until the age of 18. Before becoming an athlete, Kiptum was an electrician and a livestock herder back in Kenya. In an interview with BBC News, his longtime coach, John Hakizimana said, “I knew him when he was a little boy, herding livestock barefooted.” Tragically, Hakizimana and Kiptum both were killed on impact in the crash, along with another passenger who made it but was severely injured.
With only five years of running and racing experience, Kiptum was able to win many marathons along with a world record to boot. Kelvin Kiptum’s name will go down in the history books forever, but sadly, his legacy was never finished.
Distance runner Nick Rhoden (11) wonders about the potential Kiptum left behind in passing at such an early age.
“I have not heard too much about him, but I do know that he holds the world record in the marathon which is impressive, especially at his age. He clearly had lots more potential that he was never able to fulfill. Being an athlete is for sure not the easiest thing to do, and he fought hard and endured the pain needed to get him to where he was,” Rhoden said.
