 Martin Lel (right) at the 2006London Marathon | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  Kenya |
| Born | (1978-10-29)29 October 1978 (age 47) |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 54 kg (119 lb) |
Martin Kiptolo Lel (born 29 October 1978) is a Kenyan professionallong distance andmarathon runner. He won theLondon Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, theNew York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and theGreat North Run in 2007 and 2009. His personal best time, as of April 2008[update], is 2:05:15, which he ran in the 2008 London Marathon setting a course record.[1] Lel is coached byClaudio Berardelli and lives in theRift Valley region of Kenya.
Lel ran his first marathons in 2002: he failed to finish at thePrague Marathon, but in his first finish he managed to claim second in theVenice Marathon.[2][3] He wonLisbon Half Marathon in 2003, 2006 and 2009,[4] was the comedygold medalist at the2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and won thePortugal Half Marathon in 2005. He made his Olympic debut for Kenya at the2008 Beijing Olympics and came fifth in the marathon.
He beatSamuel Wanjiru to win the inaugural edition of theRock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon in 2010.[5] In August 2010, he ran at theFalmouth Road Race and took third place.[6] After almost 3 years without running a marathon, he participated in the2011 London Marathon as a replacement for Samuel Wanjiru, who was originally invited to run, but he still placed second with a time of 2:05:45, out-sprintingPatrick Makau at the finish line.[7] He ran the 15KSaint Silvester Road Race at the end of the year, but was beaten into fourth place.[8] Lel entered two races the year after: he was runner-up again at the2012 London Marathon (finishing in 2:06:51) and was victorious at thePortugal Half Marathon with a time of 61:28 minutes.[9]
In 2011, the American Charity, Shoe4Africa, funded and opened theShoe4Africa Martin Lel school in Lel's home village, Kimn'geru, to honor the athlete.
His brother,Cyprian Kimurgor Kotut, followed in his footsteps as a marathon runner and won the 2016 Paris Marathon.[10]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | World Half Marathon Championships | New York, New York,U.S. | 1st | Half marathon |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing,China | 5th | Marathon |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Boston Marathon | Boston, Massachusetts,U.S. | 3rd | Marathon |
| New York City Marathon | New York, New York,U.S. | 1st | Marathon | |
| Lisbon Half Marathon | Lisbon,Portugal | 1st | Half marathon | |
| Virginia Beach Half Marathon | Virginia Beach, Virginia,U.S. | 1st | Half marathon | |
| 2004 | Peachtree Road Race | Atlanta, Georgia,U.S. | 1st | 10 km |
| Boston Marathon | Boston, Massachusetts,U.S. | 3rd | Marathon | |
| 2005 | London Marathon | London,England | 1st | Marathon |
| 2006 | Peachtree Road Race | Atlanta, Georgia,U.S. | 1st | 10 km |
| London Marathon | London,England | 2nd | Marathon | |
| 2007 | London Marathon | London,England | 1st | Marathon |
| Great North Run | Newcastle upon Tyne,England | 1st | Half marathon | |
| New York City Marathon | New York, New York,U.S. | 1st | Marathon | |
| 2008 | London Marathon | London,England | 1st | Marathon |
| 2009 | Great North Run | Newcastle upon Tyne,England | 1st | Half marathon |
| 2010 | Mardi Gras Half Marathon | New Orleans, Louisiana,U.S. | 1st | Half marathon |
| Falmouth Road Race | Falmouth, Massachusetts,U.S. | 3rd | 7.1 miles | |
| 2011 | London Marathon | London,England | 2nd | Marathon |
| 2012 | London Marathon | London,England | 2nd | Marathon |
