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 former professional long-distance runner from Kenya. She was famous for her amazing speed in marathon races.

Mary once held the world record for a women-only marathon. This means she ran the fastest marathon ever when only women were competing. She set this record at the 2017 London Marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 1 second. She is still one of the fastest women ever in both the marathon and half marathon races.

Mary also held world records for other distances like 10 miles, 20 kilometers, and 25 kilometers. These were all set in road races. In 2018, a school in her home area of Baringo County, Kenya, was named after her. It's called the Mary Keitany Shoe4Africa school.

Mary Keitany's Running Journey

Mary Keitany was born in Kabarnet, 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 as an adult. She finished 21st in the Shoe4Africa 5-kilometer race.

Winning Silver at World Championships

In 2007, Mary won a silver medal at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships. She came in second place behind Lornah Kiplagat, who set a new world record in that race.

Returning to Running After Becoming a Mom

Mary took a break from running in 2008 because she was pregnant. She returned to competition in May 2009. She ran her fastest time yet at the World 10K Bangalore race.

Becoming a World Champion

In September 2009, Mary won the Lille Half Marathon. Her time was the seventh fastest ever for that distance. This win helped her qualify for the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

At the World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham, she won her first world championship! She set a new personal best time of 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 36 seconds. This was also a new championship record. She won another gold medal as part of the winning Kenyan team. Mary was very happy, saying she had a baby just over a year ago. Her time was the second fastest ever in the half marathon. It also set new records for both Africa and Kenya.

Setting New Records in 2010

Mary started 2010 by winning 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. She finished almost five minutes ahead of the second-place runner!

Later that year, she won the Portugal Half Marathon. This helped her get ready for her first full marathon. In her first New York City Marathon, she finished third.

Breaking World Records in 2011

Mary had an amazing start to 2011. 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 this distance in under 1 hour and 6 minutes on a regular course. She also set other world records during this race for 20 kilometers.

Dominating the London Marathon

She then won the 2011 London Marathon in 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 17 seconds. She pulled away from the other runners and became the fourth fastest woman ever in a marathon.

Mary won the Portugal Half Marathon again in September. She improved her own course record. She was a favorite to win the 2011 New York City Marathon. She had a big lead early on but slowed down later in the race. She finished third.

More Wins and Olympic Performance in 2012

Mary tried to break her world record at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon again in 2012. Windy weather slowed her down, but she still ran a great time.

At the 2012 London Marathon, she broke the African record. She won the race in 2 hours, 18 minutes, and 37 seconds. This made her the third fastest woman ever at this distance.

Mary also competed in the Summer Olympics in London. She ran with the lead group for most of the race but finished fourth.

Another Break for Family in 2013

Mary announced she was pregnant again in early 2013. She took a break from competitions that year.

Winning Big in New York City

On November 2, 2014, Mary won the 2014 New York City Marathon. She battled with Jemima Sumgong to take first place.

London Marathon Challenge in 2015

At the 2015 London Marathon, Mary was one of the "Fantastic Four" Kenyan runners. Everyone expected them to win and maybe even break a record. Mary finished second in a close race. She said the wind and cold weather affected her performance.

Continuing Success in 2016

Mary won the 2016 New York City Marathon in 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 26 seconds. She also won the Bix 7 Road Race in Iowa, setting a new course record for women.

Setting a World Record in 2017

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

Earlier in February, Mary finished second at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon. The winner, Peres Jepchirchir, set a new world record in that race. Mary also won the TD Beach to Beacon 10k race in August, setting another course record. She finished second at the 2017 New York City Marathon in November.

More New York City Marathon Wins

On November 4, 2018, Mary won the 2018 New York City Marathon again. Her time was very close to the course record. She ran the second half of the race much faster than the first.

In 2019, Mary came in second place at the 2019 New York City Marathon. She finished behind Joyciline Jepkosgei, who was running her first marathon.

Retirement from Running

Mary Keitany announced her retirement on September 22, 2021, when she was 39 years old. She retired 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's Life Outside of Running

Mary is married to Charles Koech, who is also a runner. They have two children: a son named Jared (born in 2008) and a daughter named Samantha (born in 2013). Mary would stop training during the third month of her pregnancies. She would start training again when her babies were six months old.

She trains in Iten, Kenya, which is a famous place for runners.

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
Other 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 World Marathon Major Results

Mary Keitany's Fastest Times

See also

In Spanish: Mary Keitany para niños