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World Marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum has acknowledged the transformative impact that earnings from his athletic achievements have had on his life.

Kiptum, the sole individual in history to complete a marathon in under two hours and one minute in a record-eligible race, secured victories in three prestigious marathons held between December 2022 and October 2023.

Kelvin Kiptum’s achievements

These included two top-tier World Marathon Majors (WMM) events, with Kiptum achieving three of the six fastest times in history, each establishing a course record under 2:02 hours.

In his marathon debut at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, Kiptum set the fastest-ever time for a debutant, becoming the third man in history to break two hours and two minutes.

Four months later, at the 2023 London Marathon (WMM), he recorded the second-fastest marathon in history at 2:01:25, only 16 seconds outside the world record.

In October 2023, in the Chicago Marathon (WMM), the 23-year-old shattered the world record by 34 seconds with a time of two hours and 35 seconds.

While achieving these milestones, Kiptum received financial rewards that have impacted his life.

Kelvin Kiptum investments

He expressed that his newfound recognition in Kenya and the ability to afford investments like land and apartments have been attributed to his athletic success.

However, he mentioned that despite these changes, he still drives a Toyota Premio, indicating a level-headed approach to his newfound success.

“My life has changed. Everyone knows me in Kenya, of course. And when I was in Rotterdam for the press conference yesterday, people on the street sometimes asked me for a selfie. I enjoy doing that, you have to give something to the fans. With the money I earned so far, I bought some land and apartments. But I still drive a Toyota Premio,” he told Dutch publication De TIJD.