Marathon Talk Episode 36: Celebrating Kelvin Kiptum’s Remarkable Legacy

A light that shone so incredibly brightly and all too briefly, Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, sadly died on Sunday February 11 in Kenya.

We’re taking this episode of Marathon Talk to explore the stellar highlights of his career, and share in his irreplaceable impact on the marathon community with Chicago’s Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski, and Author of Running With The Kenyans, Adharanand Finn.

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In this episode of Marathon Talk

0:00 - We take a moment of silence to remember Kelvin & Gervais, relive the moment that he stormed to the finish line at the London Marathon, and follow the journey he took to marathon glory
20:00 - Chicago’s Executive Race Director, Carey Pinkowski, joins us to relive the moment that he shattered the fastest time in human history, and discusses the impact that he made on Chicago and the marathon community as a whole
36:20 - Kelvin’s performances earned him praise from the community’s greatest, and we parse through some of the most glowing quotes shared in his wake
41:00 - Adharanand Finn, Author of Running With The Kenyans, shares his experiences of Gervais & Kelvin’s impact on the community in Kenya, diving into just how family-focused he and his community are
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Episode keywords

Marathon talk, abbott world marathon majors, marathon running, distance running, endurance marathon, marathon training, endurance training, london marathon, berlin marathon, boston marathon, chicago marathon, tokyo marathon, new york marathon, six star finisher, kelvin kiptum, gervais hakizimana

Episode highlights

“I can remember watching the TV coverage of London when Kiptum won that race and he's just screaming down the Embankment effortlessly chomping up the ground. Absolutely staggering.” - Martin Yelling

“It's fascinating that he didn't have that track background, right? He didn't come from the 5k and 10k where we would have assumed that speed would be available at the end of the race if he needed it.” - Deena Kastor

“Somebody said ‘I walk down Clark Street three times a day, and he turned it into a world record. I look at the street differently, and I look at my neighbourhood differently now.’” - Carey Pinkowski

“A lot of the Kenyans have this incredible belief, and it just takes somebody to do what he's done, and that and that elevates them all.” - Adharanand Finn

“Thank you Kelvin Kiptum for showing us how to run fast, enjoy pushing limits, breaking new ground, raising the bar, lighting up the marathon world.” - Deena Kastor