Geoffrey Mutai

Geoffrey Mutai
Personal information
Born (1981-10-07) 7 October 1981
Mumberes, Koibatek District, Kenya
Sport
Country Kenya Kenya
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 10,000 m: 27:19
20,000 metres: 56:52
Half marathon: 58:58
Marathon: 2:03:02

Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds (4:41 per mile pace), though the time was not recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations as a world record since the Boston course does not meet the criteria to be eligible for the mark.[1][2]

His other significant victories include the Monaco Marathon. He is also a strong half marathon runner, with wins at the Valencia Half Marathon and RAK Half Marathon, and a best of 58 minutes 58 seconds, to his name. He also won the 2011 New York City Marathon with a time of 2 hours 5 minutes and 6 seconds (4:46 per mile pace), breaking the course record set by Tesfaye Jifar of Ethiopia in 2001,[3][4] and repeated his performance at the 2013 New York City Marathon with a time of 2 hours 8 minutes and 24 seconds.

Career

Mutai started running in 1994 while at Tuiyotich Primary School in Nakuru. He graduated from primary school in 1998, but financial constraints prevented him from joining a secondary school. Instead, he worked in a farm, but continued his running career. He was selected to represent Kenya at the 2002 World Junior Championships, but could not make the trip as he had no birth certificate. Soon after he was injured and almost quit running. He later joined Kapng'entuny Athletics Club in Eldoret. In 2007 he made his marathon debut, finishing second in the inaugural Kass Marathon in Eldoret. At this race he met his current manager Gerard Van de Veen of Volare Sports, who provided him with the opportunity of competing abroad.[5][6]

He won the 2008 Monaco Marathon, clocking a time of 2:12:40 to beat second-placed Jacob Kitur.[7] He won the Loopfestijn Voorthuizen 10 km race in a course record time of 28:05 that July.[8] He made significant improvements at the Eindhoven Marathon, setting a new personal best of 2:07:50, which was a course record and over a minute and a half ahead of the opposition.[9]

Mutai opened 2009 with a win at the South Rift Valley 12 km championships.[10] He signed up for the Seoul International Marathon, but was unable to finish the race.[11] He ran at the Daegu Marathon a month later and finished eighth overall with a time of 2:10:45.[12] He returned to the Loopfestijn Voorthuizen race a few months later and improved upon his previous course record, running under 28 minutes for the first time to set a new best of 27:39.[13][14] He had a second consecutive victory at the Eindhoven Marathon, further improving the course mark and his personal best to 2:07:01.[15] He won the Valencia Half Marathon in late 2009, seeing off the challenge from pre-race favourite Boniface Kirui and setting a new best of 59:30 over the distance.[16]

The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon was Mutai's first major race of 2010, and he beat Tadese Tola to the finish line. Although his time of 59:43 was quick, it seemed a relatively modest achievement given the tactical running and the race's historically fast times.[17] He took on the World's Best 10K in Puerto Rico a few weeks later, but Moses Masai and Sammy Kitwara pushed him into third place.[18] Mutai ran one of the fastest marathons ever at the Rotterdam Marathon in April, improving on his previous best by a large margin with a run of 2:04:55. However, Patrick Makau ran even faster and Mutai had to settle for second place.[19] He took to the track in the summer and set a 10,000 m personal best of 27:27:59 for second place at the Kenyan Championships behind Wilson Kiprop.[20] This earned him selection for the 2010 African Athletics Championships and he won the continental bronze medal, while Kiprop took the gold.[21] He was pitted against his Rotterdam rival Makau at the Berlin Marathon and the two maintained the same positions, with Mutai clocking 2:05:10 for second place.[22] He came close to a personal best at the Delhi Half Marathon and won the race by out-kicking Lelisa Desisa.[23]

He earned a place on the World Cross team with a victory at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships, conclusively winning by 44.4 seconds.[24] At the 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships he was among the lead pack with 500 m to go but was outstripped by the fast pace and finished fifth.[25]

On 13 April 2014 Mutai finished in the 2014 London Marathon clocking 2:08:18 for sixth place.

World marathon best

On 18 April 2011, Mutai won the Boston Marathon in the fastest time ever recorded for a marathon, which was 2:03.02: this was 57 seconds faster than the world record of 2:03:59, and broke the existing course record of 2:05:52 by almost three minutes. However, due to the point-to-point nature of the (overall, downhill) course, it cannot be ratified as a world record. Running in sunshine and temperatures near 50 °F (10 °C), Mutai was helped by a tailwind blowing 15-to-20 miles per hour. In the late stages, Mutai was pushed by 25-year-old countryman Moses Mosop: the two ran stride-for-stride over the last miles until a final sprint by Mutai gave him the victory by four seconds.

He also competed at the first B.A.A. 10K, which was held in Boston in June, and he won the race in a state record time of 27:19 minutes.[26] At the Giro di Castelbuono, the oldest European road race, he won as it took on a 10K format for the first time.[27] In August he ran the Bogotá Half Marathon in a course record time of 1:02:20 hours, beating Deriba Merga by a margin of over two minutes.[28] In November he won the 2011 New York City Marathon with another quick time of 2:05:06 hours, breaking the course record. This made him the first runner since American legend Bill Rodgers to take both the Boston and New York men's titles in the same year.[29]

He began the 2012 season with a run at the Discovery Cross Country in Kenya and was runner-up to Wilson Kiprop.[30] He returned to try to defend his title at the 2012 Boston Marathon, but dropped out in the second half of the race in hot conditions. As a result, the Kenyan selectors chose not to send him to compete in the marathon at the Olympics, in spite of his pedigree over the distance. He reorganised his race schedule and made his Canadian debut at the Ottawa 10K, winning by a margin of 45 seconds.[31] He defended his B.A.A 10K title with a world-leading run of 27:29 minutes.[32] A world record attempt at the 2012 Berlin Marathon saw him run the fourth fastest time ever (2:04:15), winning just ahead of his training partner Dennis Kimetto.[33] His last outing of the year brought another win, this time at the 15 km Montferland Run, where his time of 42:25 minutes was a personal best and also a course record.[34] He was chosen as the AIMS World Athlete of the Year for a second year running.[35]

He broke 59 minutes for the half marathon for the first time at the 2013 RAK Half Marathon, although his run of 58:58 minutes was only enough for third in the quick race.[36]

Personal life

Born to Andrew Koech and Emmy Koech, Mutai is the eldest of 11 siblings. He is married to Beatrice. They have a daughter, born in 2009.[5]

Personal bests

Event Time (h:m:s) Venue Date
10 kilometres 27:19 Boston, USA 26 June 2011
20 kilometres 56:52 Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates 19 February 2010
Half marathon 58:58 Ras Al Khaimah, UAE 15 February 2013
Marathon 2:03:02* Boston, USA 18 April 2011
2:04:15 Berlin, Germany 30 September 2012

(*) Downhill and point-to-point course

Achievements

International competition

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing  Kenya
2010 African Championships Nairobi, Kenya 3rd 10,000 metres 27:33.83
2011 World Cross Country Championships Punta Umbría, Spain 5th Senior race Individual
1st Senior race Team

Road races

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2008 Monaco Marathon Monte Carlo, Monaco 1st Marathon 2:12:40
Eindhoven Marathon Eindhoven, Netherlands 1st Marathon 2:07:50
2009 Daegu Marathon Daegu, South Korea 8th Marathon 2:10:45
Eindhoven Marathon Eindhoven, Netherlands 1st Marathon 2:07:01
Valencia Half Marathon Valencia, Spain 1st Half Marathon 59:30
2010 New Delhi Half Marathon New Delhi, India 1st Half Marathon 59:38
Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Ras Al Khaimah, UAE 1st Half Marathon 59:43
Rotterdam Marathon Rotterdam, Netherlands 2nd Marathon 2:04:55
Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany 2nd Marathon 2:05:10
2011 Boston Marathon Boston, United States 1st Marathon 2:03:02 CR
Bogotá Half Marathon Bogotá, Colombia 1st Half marathon 1:02:20 CR
New York City Marathon New York City, United States 1st Marathon 2:05:05 CR
2012 Berlin Marathon Berlin, Germany 1st Marathon 2:04:15
2013 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon Ras Al Khaimah, UAE 3rd Half Marathon 58:58
New York City Marathon New York City, United States 1st Marathon 2:08:24
2014 New York City Half Marathon New York City, United States 1st Half Marathon 1:00:50
London Marathon London, United Kingdom 6th Marathon 2:08:18
New York City Marathon New York City, United States 6th Marathon 2:13:44

References

  1. ↑ "Mutai wins Boston in world-record time: Kilel edges American in women's race". Boston Herald. Associated Press. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  2. ↑ May, Peter (18 April 2011). "Kenya's Mutai Wins Boston in 2:03:02". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  3. ↑ Liz Robbins, Geoffrey Mutai Wins New York Marathon With Course Record, The New York Times, 6 November 2011
  4. ↑ "Top Male Finishers". The ING New York City Marathon. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  5. 1 2 Daily Nation. 24 April 2011: Rags to riches
  6. ↑ 28 February 2011: Focus on Athletes – Geoffrey Kiprono MUTAI
  7. ↑ Mutai clocks 2:12 to take 11th edition of Monaco Marathon. IAAF (1 April 2008). Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  8. ↑ Uitslagenlijst Fortis Loopfestijn Voorthuizen (Dutch). Uitslagen. Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  9. ↑ van Hemert, Wim (12 October 2008). Mutai cruises 2:07:50 course record in Eindhoven. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  10. ↑ Omulo, Okoth (7 February 2009). Mutai and Chepkwony win in South Rift as two perish in Kisii. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  11. ↑ Jalava, Mirko (13 March 2009). Arusei takes first major win in 2:07:54; Tola upsets Chinese favorites in 2:25:37 – Seoul Int. Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  12. ↑ Korean marathon hope re-emerges to win 2009 Daegu Int. Marathon. IAAF (13 April 2009). Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  13. ↑ Monti, David (16 July 2009). Course Record for Geoffrey Mutai in Voorthuizen. The Final Sprint. Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  14. ↑ Mutai breekt opnieuw parcoursrecord in Voorthuizen (+2 video's) (Dutch). De Stad Nijkerk (16 July 2009). Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  15. ↑ van Hemert, Wim (12 October 2009). Mutai cruises 2:07:01 course record in Eindhoven. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  16. ↑ Vigneron, Peter (23 November 2009). Weekly Racing Recap for 23 November 2009. Running Times Magazine. Retrieved on 12 April 2010. He wins New York City Marathon in 2011.
  17. ↑ Fairlie, Greg (19 February 2010). Stunning 1:07:07 Half Marathon debut by Abeylegesse Ras Al Khaimah. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  18. ↑ Kuehls, David (1 March 2010). Masai and Cheruiyot take crowns in San Juan. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
  19. ↑ van Hemert, Wim (11 April 2010). Makau storms 2:04:48 in Rotterdam. IAAF. Retrieved on 11 April 2010.
  20. ↑ Wokabi, James & Mutuota, Mutwiri (27 July 2010). Focus on Athletes – Geoffrey Kiprono MUTAI. IAAF. Retrieved on 26 September 2010.
  21. ↑ Negash, Elshadai (28 July 2010). Kiprop takes men’s 10,000m as African championships begin in Nairobi. IAAF. Retrieved on 26 September 2010.
  22. ↑ Butcher, Pat (26 September 2010). Makau and Kebede triumph in rainy Berlin. IAAF. Retrieved on 26 September 2010.
  23. ↑ Murali, Ram. Krishnan (21 November 2010). Mergia recaptures women’s crown, Mutai foils Ethiopian sweep at Delhi Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 27 November 2010.
  24. ↑ Mutuota, Mutwiri (19 February 2011). Mutai and Masai take hard fought wins in Nairobi; reigning World champs Ebuya and Chebet won’t defend. IAAF. Retrieved on 20 February 2011.
  25. ↑ Minshull, Phil (20 March 2011). Merga gets a rare taste of victory – Men’s senior race report – Punta Umbrìa 2011. IAAF. Retrieved on 29 March 2011.
  26. ↑ Connelly, John (27 June 2011). Feeling at home. Boston Herald. Retrieved on 2 July 2011.
  27. ↑ Sampaolo, Diego (27 July 2011). Geoffrey Mutai dominates in Castelbuono. IAAF. Retrieved on 30 July 2011.
  28. ↑ Mutai and Chepkirui the winners in Bogota. IAAF/Organisers (1 August 2011). Retrieved on 21 September 2011.
  29. ↑ Morse, Parker (6 November 2011). G. Mutai smashes course record, Dado the surprise women's winner in New York. IAAF. Retrieved on 8 November 2011.
  30. ↑ Macharia, David (22 January 2012). W. Kiprop takes down G. Mutai in Eldoret XC. IAAF. Retrieved on 1 February 2012.
  31. ↑ Gains, Paul (27 May 2012). Mutai Destroys Field on Warm Night in Ottawa. IAAF. Retrieved on 27 May 2012.
  32. ↑ World lead for Mutai, course record for Smith at Boston 10k. IAAF (24 June 2012). Retrieved on 9 July 2012.
  33. ↑ Butcher, Pat (30 September 2012). Close victory for Mutai but more straightforward for Kebede in Berlin – REPORT. IAAF. Retrieved on 31 January 2013.
  34. ↑ van Hemert, Wim (2 December 2012). Mutai sets course record in 's Heerenberg. IAAF. Retrieved on 2 February 2013.
  35. ↑ Mutai retains AIMS male World Athlete of the Year award. IAAF (15 February 2013). Retrieved on 23 February 2013.
  36. ↑ Kabuu and Kipsang triumph in high-quality races at Ras al-Khaimah Half. IAAF (15 February 2013). Retrieved on 2 March 2013.
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