Evans Rutto (born 8 April 1978 inMarakwet District) is a Kenyanlong-distance runner, who specialises inroad running events. He made the fastest-evermarathon debut by winning the 2003Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:50. He won theLondon Marathon and a second title in Chicago the following year.
After 2004, Rutto's form dipped considerably and in 2006 he took time away from marathoning due to injury. He has not yet returned to competition, although his personal best still keeps him within the top-20 fastest runners of all time.[1]
His first major competition was the1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and he finished in fifth place in the long race and helped secure a dominant Kenyan finish in the team competition. Rutto became an elite runner at the 10k tohalf marathon distances: he won the 2001Beach to Beacon race and was the top Kenyan finisher at the2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships with a run of 1:00:43 for sixth place.
He moved up to the marathon in 2003 and won theChicago Marathon with a record debut time of 2:05:50, making him the fourth-fastest marathoner ever at the time (afterPaul Tergat,Sammy Korir andKhalid Khannouchi).[2] This was the fastest-ever time for a marathon debut and remains so[3] – it also remains his personal best time.
He opened his 2004 season with a win at theLondon Marathon, beating Sammy Korir to the finish by half a minute.[4] He returned to the Chicago course in October and defended his title with a winning time of 2:06:16 – over a minute and a half ahead of runner-upDaniel Njenga. These two times placed Rutto at the top two spots on theseason's fastest marathons list for 2004.[5]
His 2005 performances were considerably less successful as he only managed tenth place at the London Marathon, losing his unbeaten record of three straight victories.[6] His fastest time of the year, 2:07:28, was only enough to bring him fourth at the Chicago Marathon.[7] At the 2006 London Marathon he was in tenth place again and appeared in agony at the end of the race.[8]
Rutto took time out from competitive running after a disappointing 2006, due to injury and personal problems.[citation needed]
He trains withKimbia Athletics and is coached byDieter Hogen. Rutto is married with three children, Winnie, Dennis, and Dieter (after Coach Dieter Hogen) (as of 2005). His father Kilimo Yano was also a runner, whose personal best at10,000 metres was 29 minutes.[citation needed] He won the 2014Mumbai Marathon[9] losing out on the course record by one second and a US$15,000 bonus for it.[10]
| Surface | Event | Time (h:m:s) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track | 5000 m | 13:02.71 | Nürnberg, Germany | 25 June 2000 |
| 10,000 m | 27:21.32 | Villeneuve d'Ascq, France | 17 June 2000 | |
| Road | 10 km | 28:07 | Vancouver, Canada | 22 April 2001 |
| Half marathon | 1:00:43 | Bristol, United Kingdom | 7 October 2001 | |
| Marathon | 2:05:50 | Chicago, United States | 12 October 2003 | |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | World Cross Country Championships | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 5th | Long race | 39:12 |
| 1st | Team race | ||||
| 2001 | World Half Marathon Championships | Bristol, United Kingdom | 6th | Half marathon | 1:00:43 |
| 2nd | Team race | ||||
| 2003 | Chicago Marathon | Chicago, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:05:50 (fastest debut) |
| 2004 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 1st | Marathon | 2:06:18 |
| Chicago Marathon | Chicago, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:06:16 (Year's fastest) | |
| 2005 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 10th | Marathon | 2:12:49 |
| Chicago Marathon | Chicago, United States | 4th | Marathon | 2:07:28 | |
| 2006 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 10th | Marathon | 2:09:35 |
