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Little known Kelvin Kiptum who hails from Chepsamo village in Chekporio, Elgeyo Marakwet County, is now Sh 20.3 million (15, 000 dollars) richer after his feat during this year’s London Marathon on Sunday morning.

The 23-year old who coincidentally come from the same village as Geoffrey Kamworor whom he beat to second position at the Sunday race, began his career at the annual Kass Marathon in Eldoret and took little time to climb to top as he now holds the second fastest time over the distance. He also went to the same school as Kamworor.

On Sunday, Kiptum recorded a London Marathon course record time to win the 2023 edition of the event on the streets of the capital.

He got round the course in just 2:01.27 – the second fastest marathon in history – narrowly missing out on Eliud Kipchoge’s world record by 18 seconds.

President William Ruto said after the race: “Course record smashed! Hongera Kelvin Kiptum on your decisive win in the 2023 London Marathon. Your incredible skill, mettle, unyielding resolve and dedication have convincingly paid off. Great run from Geoffrey Kamworor for scooping Silver.”

Kamworor crossed the line in second, while Yorkshireman Emile Cairess was the fastest Brit, finishing in sixth. He recorded the third-fastest time by a Brit on his London Marathon debut.

Mo Farah was pipped by Phil Sessemann as the pair finished eighth and ninth, while Chris Thompson made it four Brits in the top 10.

The runner made his debut in international full marathon at the Valencia Marathon last year, where he set the fourth-fastest time in history, becoming the third man ever to break the two-hour and two-minute mark.

His winning time was an impressive 2:01:53, which was by far the fastest marathon debut ever, smashing the course record by more than a minute. His achievement was even more impressive given that he beat the pre-race favorite, Tamirat Tola, who was the 2022 world marathon champion.

Kiptum’s success did not end there, as he showed that his debut was not a fluke during Sunday’s race where he broke away from the field after the 30 km mark and ran the all-time record second half of 59:47, beating Eliud Kipchoge’s course record of 2:02:37 by more than a minute.

He gained his first international experience in March 2019, where he finished fifth at the Lisbon Half Marathon with a time of 59:54. In December 2020, he set a new personal best in the event, finishing sixth at the Valencia Half Marathon with a time of 58:42. In 2021, he ran two half marathons, finishing first in Lens, France with a time of 59:35 and eighth in Valencia with a time of 59:02.

His success has made him one to watch in the future, as he continues to break records and establish himself as a world-class runner.

His incredible marathon debut has set him apart from other runners, and his ability to consistently run fast times is a testament to his talent and dedication to the sport. With more races on the horizon, fans of long-distance running will be eagerly watching to see what Kiptum will accomplish next.