Rodgers Rop
KENYA
BIRTHDATE:
February 16, 1976
PERSONAL BEST:
2:07:32 (Hamburg, 2007)
WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:
04Nov07 ING New York City Marathon 12th 2:18:10
05Nov06 ING New York City Marathon 5th 2:11:24
23Apr06 Flora London Marathon 6th 2:07:34
19Apr04 Boston Marathon DNF
02Nov03 ING New York City Marathon 2nd 2:11:11
21Apr03 Boston Marathon 7th 2:16:14
03Nov02 New York City Marathon 1st 2:08:07
15Apr02 Boston Marathon 1st 2:09:02
04Nov01 New York City Marathon 3rd 2:09:51
ADDITIONAL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
29Apr07 Conenergy Marathon Hamburg 1st 2:07:32
06Nov05 Joon Ang Seoul International Marathon 6th 2:13:25
10Apr05 Paris Marathon 7th 2:10:31
17Oct04 Amsterdam Marathon 9th 2:13:58
CAREER NOTES:
Rop belongs to a very small group of individuals to have won both the Boston and New York City Marathons in the same year, a feat he pulled off in 2002. Although he struggled at the marathon distance after his runner-up finish in New York in 2003, he has again found the form that made him a three-time podium finisher in New York City, as he finished sixth in the 2006 Flora London Marathon in a personal best 2:07:34.
He was looking to improve on that at Rotterdam in April 2007 but had to retire after 25-K due to warm temperatures on race day. The Rotterdam race director gave Rop permission to run another marathon at Hamburg a few weeks later and after a hard-fought battle there with Wilfred Kigen, Rop prevailed by one second in a new PR of 2:07:32.
Looking for a top-of-the-line pacemaker for Haile Gebrselassie's world record attempt at Berlin that September, Rop was hired on to produce the necessary pace through 30 kilometers which he did, passing that mark in 1:28:56. He was expected to challenge for victory at New York in November, however he wound up in 12th position.
Rop at one time held the world record for 25K, and his 59:49 half-marathon personal best (Lisbon 2004) is one of the fastest in history.
PERSONAL NOTES:
Rop is from Nairobi and works in the Kenyan police force during the off season. He named his first-born son "Boston" after his victory there in 2002.
