Brigid Kosgei: At the top of her game, but striving for more

At 25, Kosgei joined the enviable club of world record holders when she shattered the 16-year-old record held by British legend Paula Radcliffe at the Chicago Marathon in 2019.

“I was in good shape. I had a feeling that I was going to run a good race which will be remembered for a long time. I was inspired by Eliud Kipchoge. I had watched him on television doing the unimaginable,” said Kosgei.

And on March 6, Kosgei did it again. She won the 2022 Tokyo Marathon in a course record time of 2:16:02.

Kosgei, a mother of eight-year-old twins; Brian Kibet and Faith Chepchumba, is among the phenomenal women athletes who have learnt to juggle between family and career. To a casual observer, it may appear easy, almost natural, but far from it.  It takes discipline, sacrifice and hard work.

When preparing for a race while at home in Eldoret, Kosgei’s day typically begins at 5am; she rises early and drives to the training venue at Nyaru.

As part of her routine, she usually takes dinner early and retires to bed early so that she can wake up early.

Kosgei’s training schedule begins at exactly 6am. On this day that she gave Nation Sport an interview, she was doing an easy 18km run because it is on a Sunday.

After completing the race, Kosgei warms down. She then drives back home, and we follow her in our vehicle. She settles down for breakfast which is an important meal for her after training.

First, she takes fruits followed by a cup of tea and bread.

“During the weekend I travel back home in Eldoret from Kapsait camp in Elgeyo Marakwet County. It is a distance of about 150km,” said the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games marathon silver medallist.

“Being a mother is not easy. I have to ensure that my children are doing well in school and that they are well taken care of at home when I’m away.”

Kosgei, 27, was born at Sinon village in Kapsowar in Elgeyo Marakwet in a family of eight children. She embarked on a serious athletics career in 2014.

While a student at Tulwo Girls High School in Nandi County, she was sent home for school fees. But instead of going home, where she knew that her mother,  Margaret Yego, could not raise the money, she joined other athletes in training in Kapsait, near her present training camp.

Her mother’s pleas to return to school fell on deaf ears. He mind was made up to concentrate on athletics. It is a decision she said she does not regret.

Having forfeited her education, Kosgei vowed to become a star athlete. In her first local race, Kass Marathon, she competed in the 10km road race and finished in 89th position.

Undetered, she continued training harder, and caught the eye of her present coach Erick Kimaiyo who invited her to join Kapsait camp in Elgeyo Marakwet County in 2015. That year she took part in Kalya Half Marathon and emerged seventh.

She took part in her first international race, the Porto Novo Marathon in Italy, in 2016 and emerged the surprise winner despite being a newcomer in the marathon race. 

Kosgei said that she was inspired by Olympic 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot, the late Hosea Macharinyang and former world 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei, among others.

“When I won the race in Italy, I knew my star had started shining and I continued working hard in training and following my coach’s advice. That is the secret of my success. I have always respected my coach,” she told Nation Sport.

In 2016, she emerged second at the Lisbon Marathon behind Sarah Chepchirchir after clocking her personal best of 2:24:45.

“When I went for my first marathon race, I had no idea if I could do it. But I just wanted to be in the front and that has been my style all along because I don’t believe in chasing the leading pack. I won the race and that gave me hope of even doing better," said the three-time London Marathon champion.

Kosgei has big dreams. She is hungry for more success.

“I train hard because of my children. I want them to have better education and have a bright future. That is why I wake up very early in the morning despite the biting cold,” said Kosgei.

When she returns home from training on the day of the interview, she ensures that her children Kibet and Chepchumba get the right diet for breakfast before she releases them to go and play.

“Nowadays, children love playing with gadgets. But I have to be strict and make sure that they don’t spend most of their free time watching television. Playing for children is essential,” she said.

“A good parent must mentor his or her children and bring them up in the right way and that is why I will always appreciate my mother who took care of me,” she added.

Coach Kimaiyo said that Kosgei has climbed up the ladder in a steady manner due to her hard work in training which has always yielded good results.

“When I saw Kosgei training alone in 2015, I knew she would be a good athlete. I kept asking her to join my team and one day she agreed to come, and she left her children with her husband.

“When I started coaching her, I saw the potential but you know in athletics success does not come instantly. It takes time. With perseverance, one is able to make it and that is what happened with Kosgei,” said Kimaiyo.

When she ran a world record, Kimaiyo said that he had prepared her well and he knew that something good would happen.

“The world record time came due to good build up since 2016 when I made sure Kosgei participated in various races both locally and internationally. When the right time came, we planned for the record, but we didn’t make it open because of obvious reasons. What if she fails to attain it?” explained Kimaiyo.

But Kimaiyo is happy that Kosgei has set the pace for other female athletes who would want to be like her.

Kenyan-born Turkish athlete Yasemin Can who trains at Kapsait with Kosgei said that they have been friends with Kosgei for a long time. She always looks up to her for guidance.

“Kosgei is like my own sister because we have been friends since when we were in school and I always follow her instructions. She’s disciplined and would always want to see us doing well while training. She doesn’t want to see anybody lazying around.

“I used to train in Iten but she asked me to change my training base and, honestly, I have really improved in my performance due to the high altitude and serious training that we do every day here,” said Can at Kapsait camp.