Mary Jepkosgei Keitany facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mary Jepkosgei Keitany

Keitany at the 2011 New York City Marathon
Personal information
Born	(1982-01-18) 18 January 1982 (age 43) Kabarnet, Baringo County, Kenya
Weight	42 kg
Sport
Country	Kenya
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Marathon
Retired	Sep. 2021
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Half marathon: 64:55 (Ras Al Khaimah 2018) Marathon: 2:17:01 WR (Wo, London 2017)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Kenya World Half Marathon Championships Gold 2007 Udine Team Gold 2009 Birmingham Individual Gold 2009 Birmingham Team Silver 2007 Udine Individual World Marathon Majors Gold 2011 London Marathon Gold 2012 London Marathon Gold 2014 New York Marathon Gold 2015 New York Marathon Gold 2016 New York Marathon Gold 2017 London Marathon Gold 2018 New York Marathon Silver 2015 London Marathon Silver 2017 New York Marathon Silver 2019 New York Marathon Bronze 2010 New York Marathon Bronze 2011 New York Marathon

Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (born January 18, 1982) is a famous former long-distance runner from Kenya. She once held the world record for a women-only marathon race. She set this record when she won the 2017 London Marathon with an amazing time of 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 1 second.

Mary Keitany is known as one of the fastest women ever in both the marathon and half marathon. She also held world records for other road races, like 10 miles, 20 kilometers, and 25 kilometers. In 2018, a school in Kenya was built and named the Mary Keitany Shoe4Africa school to honor her. She and her husband are part of the school's board.

Mary Keitany's Running Journey

Mary Keitany was born in Kabarnet, Baringo County, Kenya. She started running when she was in primary school. In 2002, she joined the Hidden Talent Academy to improve her skills.

Early Races and First Medals

In 2006, Mary ran her first big race, the Shoe4Africa 5-kilometer women's race. The next year, in 2007, she won a silver medal at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships. She finished second to Lornah Kiplagat, who set a new world record in that race.

Returning to Running After Pregnancy

Mary took a break from running in 2008 because she was pregnant. She returned to competition in May 2009 at the World 10K Bangalore race. She ran her fastest time yet, but finished just one second behind the winner.

Later in 2009, she won the Lille Half Marathon with a time of 1 hour and 7 minutes. This was one of the fastest times ever recorded for that race.

Winning a World Championship

Her great performance in Lille helped her qualify for the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham. There, she won her first world championship! She set a new personal best time of 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 36 seconds, which was also a new championship record. She also won a second gold medal as part of the winning Kenyan team. Mary was very happy, especially since she had just had a baby a little over a year before. Her time was the second fastest half marathon ever at that point and a new African record.

Breaking Records in 2010

In 2010, Mary continued to shine. She won the Abu Dhabi Half Marathon. She also won the Berlin 25K race, setting a new world record of 1 hour, 19 minutes, and 53 seconds for 25 kilometers. She finished almost five minutes ahead of the second-place runner!

Before running her first full marathon, she won the Portugal Half Marathon in Lisbon. She then made her debut at the 2010 New York City Marathon, finishing in third place.

Amazing Wins in 2011

Mary started 2011 by breaking another record. She won the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon with a world record time of 1 hour, 5 minutes, and 50 seconds. This was the first time a woman had run the half marathon in under 1 hour and 6 minutes on a regular course. She also set world records for 20 kilometers and best times for 8 kilometers and 10 miles during this race.

She then won the 2011 London Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 17 seconds. This made her the fourth fastest woman ever over the marathon distance at that time.

Later in 2011, she won the Portugal Half Marathon again, improving her own course record. She was a favorite to win the 2011 New York City Marathon, but she slowed down in the second half and finished third.

More Records and Olympic Race in 2012

In 2012, Mary ran the London Marathon again and won! She set a new African record with a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes, and 37 seconds. This made her the third fastest woman ever at the marathon distance.

She also competed in the Summer Olympics in London. She ran a fast pace for most of the race but finished fourth.

Taking a Break and Returning Strong

Mary announced she was pregnant again at the start of 2013 and did not compete that year. She returned to running in 2014 and won the 2014 New York City Marathon in a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, and 7 seconds.

In 2015, she finished second at the 2015 London Marathon. She then won the 2015 New York City Marathon again.

Winning Streak in New York

Mary won the 2016 New York City Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 26 seconds. She also set a course record at the Bix 7 Road Race in Iowa that year.

Setting a World Record in London

In April 2017, Mary won the 2017 London Marathon and set a new world record for a women-only marathon! Her time was 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 1 second. She beat the previous record by 41 seconds.

Earlier in 2017, she finished second at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon, where the winner set a new world record. She also won the TD Beach to Beacon 10K race, setting a new course record. Later that year, she won the Great North Run and finished second at the 2017 New York City Marathon.

Another New York City Marathon Win

On November 4, 2018, Mary won the 2018 New York City Marathon for the fourth time! Her winning time was 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 48 seconds.

In 2019, she finished second at the 2019 New York City Marathon.

Retirement from Running

Mary Keitany announced her retirement from professional running on September 22, 2021, when she was 39 years old. She decided to retire because of a hip injury she got during the 2019 London Marathon. This injury made it hard for her to train and perform at her best.

Mary Keitany's Family Life

Mary is married to another runner named Charles Koech. They have two children: their son, Jared, was born in June 2008, and their daughter, Samantha, was born in April 2013. Mary would stop training during the third month of her pregnancies and start again when her babies were six months old.

She trains in Iten, Kenya, and her manager is Gianni Demadonna.

Major Race Results

Representing  Kenya

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2007	World Road Running Championships	Udine, Italy	2nd	Half marathon	1:06:48 NR
2009	World Half Marathon Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	1st	Half marathon	1:06:36 AR
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	4th	Marathon	2:23:56
World Marathon Majors
2010	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:29:01
2011	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:19:19
	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	3rd	Marathon	2:23:38
2012	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:18:37 AR
2014	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:25:07
2015	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	2nd	Marathon	2:23:40
	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:24:25
2016	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	9th	Marathon	2:28:30
	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:24:26
2017	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	1st	Marathon	2:17:01 WRwo
	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:27:54
2018	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	5th	Marathon	2:24:27
	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	1st	Marathon	2:22:48
2019	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	5th	Marathon	2:20:58
	New York Marathon	New York, NY, United States	2nd	Marathon	2:23:32
Road races
2006	Seville Half Marathon	Seville, Spain	1st	Half marathon	1:09:06
	São Silvestre Olivais 10K	Lisbon, Portugal	1st	10 km	33:06
2007	Almeria Half Marathon	Almeria, Spain	1st	Half marathon	1:13:02
	Ivry-sur-Seine Humarathon	Paris, France	1st	Half marathon	1:08:36
	Puy-en-Velay 15K	Puy-en-Velay, France	1st	15 km	50:10
	Lille Half Marathon	Lille, France	1st	Half marathon	1:08:43
2009	Lille Half Marathon	Lille, France	1st	Half marathon	1:07:00
	Delhi Half Marathon	New Delhi, India	1st	Half marathon	1:06:54
2011	Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon	Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates	1st	Half marathon	1:05:50 WR
2016	Beach to Beacon 10K	Cape Elizabeth, ME, United States	1st	10 km	30:45 CR
2017	Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon	Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates	2nd	Half marathon	1:05:13
	Beach to Beacon 10K	Cape Elizabeth, ME, United States	1st	10 km	30:41 CR
2018	Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon	Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates	2nd	Half marathon	1:04:55

Mary Keitany's Marathon Major Results

Mary Keitany's Best Times

See also

In Spanish: Mary Keitany para niños