Martin Lel

Martin Lel

Martin Lel (right) at the 2006 London Marathon
Personal information
Nationality	Kenya
Born	29 October 1978 (1978-10-29) (age 33) Kapsabet, Kenya
Residence	Eldoret, Kenya
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight	54 kilograms (120 lb)

Martin Kiptolo Lel (born 29 October 1978 in Kapsabet) is a Kenyan long distance and marathon runner. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great 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 by Gabriele Rosa and lives in the Rift Valley region of Kenya.

Lel ran his first marathons in 2002: he failed to finish at the Prague Marathon, but in his first finish he managed to claim second in the Venice Marathon.^[2][3] He won Lisbon Half Marathon in 2003, 2006 and 2009,^[4] was the gold medalist at the 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and won the Portugal Half Marathon in 2005. He made his Olympic debut for Kenya at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and came fifth in the marathon.

He beat Samuel Wanjiru to win the inaugural edition of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon in 2010.^[5] In August 2010 he ran at the Falmouth Road Race and took third place.^[6] After almost 3 years without running a marathon, he participated in the 2011 London Marathon as a replacement for Samuel Wanjiru, who was originally invited to run, but he still placed second with a time of 2:05:44, out-sprinting Patrick Makau at the finish line.^[7]

Competition record

International competitions

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

Road races

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
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

References

1. ^ The Associated Press (2008-02-13). "Martin Lel wins third London Marathon in four years". iht.com. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/13/sports/athletics13.php. Retrieved 2008-02-13. 
2. ^ Running Times Magazine, June 2005: Martin Lel
3. ^ James Wokabi and Mutwiri Mutuota (2008-08-12). Focus on Athletes - Martin Lel. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-04-24.
4. ^ IAAF, March 22, 2009: Lel and Goucher win in Lisbon
5. ^ Cruz, Dan (2010-03-01). Adere clocks 1:07:52, Lel beats Wanjiru at New Orleans Half Marathon. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-03-02.
6. ^ Gebremariam and Yimer the winners in Falmouth. IAAF (2010-08-16). Retrieved on 2010-08-16.
7. ^ Brown, Matthew (2011-04-17). Mutai and Keitany dominate and dazzle in London. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-04-24.

External links

• IAAF profile for Martin Lel
• Marathoninfo profile
• "Martin Lel", n°37 on Time’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"
• Rosa & Associati profile

Persondata
Name	Lel, Martin
Alternative names
Short description	Kenyan marathon runner
Date of birth	29 October 1978
Place of birth	Kapsabet, Kenya
Date of death
Place of death