Today marks exactly one year since men’s marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum tragically passed away in a fatal road accident in Kaptagat, which also claimed the life of his long-time friend and coach, Rwandese national Gervais Hakizimana.

Kiptum would have been 25 years and 69 days old today.

While his family has planned a private memorial service to mark the day, residents of his village in Chepkorio are still struggling to come to terms with the loss.

The fateful day

A visit to the accident scene by People Sport yesterday revealed that the tree Kiptum’s car hit on the fateful day, killing him and his coach instantly, has since been cut down by the villagers. They believe the tree carried a bad omen after taking the life of their beloved son.

The scene looks very different now, except for a single pair of running shoes still hung on a smaller tree nearby and discoloured ribbons that were likely used to tie bouquets of flowers brought by mourners after the accident. There is also candle wax from the hundreds of candles lit to mourn Kiptum by friends, family members, athletics enthusiasts and curious passersby.

The metal sign that had been mounted at the scene, displaying his photos from the 2023 Chicago Marathon when he broke the men’s marathon world record, and another photo of him wearing a black suit with a black bowtie while holding the 2023 World Athlete of the Year award during the World Athletics Gala, has also been taken down.

The sign originally featured a message that read: “A true hero is not measured by the size of his strength but by the size of his heart. Rest in peace, our hero. Kirkit Kipkeleny Tulwo.” “Kirkit Kipkeleny Tulwo,” in Kalenjin, means a bull that overcomes any challenge, symbolizing strength.

Autopsy report

According to an autopsy report on Kiptum’s accident, the cause of death was severe head trauma. The report by Kenya’s Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor detailed extensive skull fractures, particularly at the base of the skull, severe enough to cause the spinal cord to intrude into the cranial cavity.

The autopsy also identified fractures on both sides of Kiptum’s ribs and contusions on the lungs, indicating damage likely caused by the impact. Dr Oduor concluded that the severe head injuries were the primary cause of death.

People Sport learned from the Kenya National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) that Kiptum acquired his first driver’s license on March 6, 2023, just a few weeks before winning the London Marathon. This means that, at the time of his death, he had only 11 months of driving experience.

At his former school, Chepsaimo Primary and Junior Secondary School, the blow remains unbearable for the teachers who had witnessed a change of fortune in their lives, especially after one of their famous students became a global figure. It was a double loss for the school and the surrounding community.

The school, located about two kilometres from Kiptum’s home, faces several challenges such as limited resources, small class sizes and teacher shortages. Sun-baked earth roads lead to the school’s entrance, marked by a colourful archway adorned with the Kenyan flag and the school’s motto, “Empowering Minds, Building Our Future,” in bold lettering.

According to teacher Luka Bwalei, who taught Kiptum from Class 6 to Class 8, it was only a matter of time before the world star would change the face of the school, as he had promised.

The young Kiptum

“I was Kiptum’s teacher from Class 6 to Class 8 here at Chepsaimo Primary. He joined the school in Class 6, coming from a school in Keiyo North whose name I can’t remember. He was a very disciplined boy, not talkative, and you could hardly notice if he was in class or not. In terms of education, he was average but excelled in Social Studies. His real strength was in co-curricular activities, where he consistently performed well in inter-school competitions at the zonal level, beating older runners in key races,” teacher Bwalei said.

“We expected Kiptum to change the fortunes of this school. As you can see, the poor state of our administration block, we were hoping he would build a complex. He had agreed to do so. During his funeral, we wanted the ceremony to be held here so we could inform President William Ruto about Kiptum’s plans for the school and ask him to help make those dreams a reality. Unfortunately, the ceremony was moved to Chepkorio, and we couldn’t deliver the message, but I now believe it can still reach the President,” Mr Bwalei added.

According to Jeremiah Kipkorir, the restaurant manager at The Wells Irish Restaurant, where Kiptum had been a regular customer before his death, the staff never knew he was a star athlete until they saw him break the men’s world marathon record at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

“Kiptum had been a regular customer for a couple of years, but we never knew he was a star athlete until we watched him win the Chicago Marathon on October 8, 2023. We actually doubted it was him, so I had to check a receipt from a recent bill he had paid to confirm the names matched. And indeed, they did,” Kipkorir said.

He added, “He always loved our special dawa (a concoction of ginger, lemon, and honey), white coffee, and occasionally, beer. His favourite beer was Whitecap. He was a cool person, not very social, and didn’t want anyone to know he was a star athlete. He would come up to the counter to pick up a drink if the waiter took too long. He wasn’t one to cause a scene, just a really nice guy who created a great rapport with everyone here.”

Grand pace

Kiptum ran only three full marathons, but his pace was so impressive that two of them rank among the four fastest marathons ever run, and the other is the seventh fastest. His legacy will undoubtedly endure.

One of his coaches, Nahashon Kibon, described him as a talent out of this world, stating that it may take a long time before the country produces a similar athlete.

“Kiptum’s strength showed towards the end of the marathon. There was no way anyone could beat him in the final stages of the race. If you wanted to beat him, you’d have to create a significant lead early on, but that would inevitably burn you out,” Kibon said.

He added, “Kiptum didn’t like photos, but the Saturday before his fatal accident, he requested several photos after early morning training. We were with marathoners Paul Tanui, Timothy Kiplagat, coach Gervais Hakizimana, coach Nicholas Koech, and an Italian agent named Ricatto. We didn’t know that this would be the last time we saw Kiptum and Hakizimana alive.”

“On Thursday, February 8, 2024, we went for a long run with Kiptum and Timothy Kiplagat, who was his training partner and friend. The two were preparing for different marathons: Kiptum for Rotterdam, Kiplagat for Tokyo. They covered 40 kilometres at a blistering pace in Moiben, and it was so tough that we, in our cars, struggled to keep up with their pace, especially when we needed to give them water.”

Death blow

Kibon also shared that Kiptum’s death had a serious impact on Timothy, who had initially decided not to compete in the Tokyo Marathon on March 3, 2024. However, Kibon was able to convince him to race for “Kiptum’s sake.” Kiplagat led the race until the 39-kilometre mark before being overtaken by Benson Kipruto, finishing second with a time of 2:02:55, while Kipruto won with 2:02:16.

“It wasn’t easy convincing Timothy to reconsider his decision to skip the Tokyo Marathon. I told him I would even travel with him to Tokyo and that Kiptum would be proud if he won. They had trained together for it, and Timothy had lost a brother, a training partner, and a confidant. He was going through a lot. Timothy could have easily won, but he sustained an injury towards the end of the race and had to settle for second,” Kibon said.

He added, “Athletes need to be strong mentally. They face pressure from many sources—coaches, agents, training partners, friends, family, and themselves. They want to be the best; they don’t want to let anyone down, including their country.”

Kiptum left behind a widow, Asenath Royich, whom he was married to for 10 years, and two children, a son, Caleb Kigen and a daughter, Precious Cherop Kiptum.