Former Boston Marathon champion Elijah Lagat is dead.
Lagat, who also served as MP for Emgwen and Chesumei constituencies, died on Monday night at Eldoret Hospital, Uasin Gishu County, after a short illness.
The former legislator, who was also the 1997 Berlin Marathon champion, was admitted at the facility last Friday.
Family members said Lagat collapsed at his Elgon View home in Eldoret before he was taken to hospital. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“He was diagnosed with high blood pressure and was at the ICU. By Sunday, he had regained consciousness and was even talking, [but] he died on Monday night,” said his brother Abraham Lagat, who spoke at the hospital.
Until his death, Lagat was serving as a board member at the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada).
Before joining politics, Lagat was an active athlete, competing in various city marathons. He won several prestigious races in his career that started as an effort to reduce weight. He was 27 years old when he started running.
At the 104th edition for the Boston Marathon, Lagat triumphed after edging out Ethiopia’s Gezahegne Abera in 2:09:4. Another Kenyan, Moses Tanui, finished in third three seconds later in that race.
Lagat ran his first marathon in 1993 at the Mombasa Marathon where he finished second in 2:17:14. He later featured in the 1995 Frankfurt Marathon where he once again finished second in 2:12:40.
In 1996, he featured in the Rotterdam Marathon and finished seventh after clocking 2:11:54. Later, Lagat headed to the New York Marathon where he finished 19th in a time of 2:18:35.
In 1997, Lagat took part in Turin Marathon in Italy when he finished second after timing 2:09:19. His first win came during the Berlin Marathon where he took the top honours in a personal best time of 2:07:41.
He would once again win the 1998 Prague Marathon (2:08:52) before finishing 10th at the Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:10:33.
In 1999, Lagat had a fifth place finish during the Paris Marathon (2:08:50) and was sixth at the New York Marathon (2:09:59).
He was selected in the 2000 marathon team that represented Kenya at the Sydney Olympic Games. Unfortunately, he did not finish the race.
His bid for the 2001 Boston Marathon title did not go well as he finished in 17th position, before a sixth-place finish at the Madrid Marathon the same year.
In 2002, he was advised by his friends to try his luck in politics. He decided to go for the Emgwen Constituency parliamentary seat on a Kanu ticket. He lost to Narc’s Stephen Tarus.
At the 2007 elections, he beat Tarus on an ODM ticket. In 2013, he was elected MP for Chesumei Constituency.
Lagat was born on June 19, 1966 in Saniak, Nandi County.
Residents said he was a man of the people, who used sports to unite them.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang said, “Lagat was a distinguished leader whose legacy will remain forever. We shall remember him, not only as an MP but also as a person who served everyone with dedication and humility; and also as a great athlete.”
“As a legislator, Lagat was deeply committed to dialogue and inclusivity and he led with wisdom, always engaging in wide consultation to ensure the voices of his constituents were respected and represented,” the governor said.
Lagat’s mother, Rebecca Cheruto Bor, died in February this year.
