Kiptum was an avid pool player, Chelsea fan

To the rest of world, Kelvin Kiptum was the world marathon record holder, a high profile athlete whom one would expect to associate with people of similar global status, or to hang out in high-end social places like his peers.

But to the residents of the small town of Chepkorio, in Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kiptum was just one of their own; a humble, down-to-earth local who never passed by anyone without a greeting.

The Chepkorio Shopping Centre along the Eldoret-Ravine road is always buzzing with activity as traders go about their businesses.

However, on this particular day, the town is silent, and only a few shops are open. 

First responders

Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana, a Rwandan national, died at around 11pm on Sunday after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed less than three kilometres from the athlete’s Chepkorio home.

Some of the first responders at the scene were the local residents who had been alerted by boda boda operators plying the route.

At mid-morning yesterday when the Nation Sport team visited the Centre, the mood was somber, and a few people at the Centre chatted in hushed tones, grief written all over their faces.

Moses Kemboi, a pool table and video show room owner at the Centre, is one of the traders who did not open his shop yesterday. 

He said Kiptum was one of his biggest customers who enjoyed playing pool games whenever he was free.

Kemboi ushered us into his premises and pointed at pool table at the corner of the timber-walled structure.

“That was his favourite pool table… Kiptum has been living in this Centre since he started training several years ago and whenever he was not training or doing something else, he always came here, and we played to pool together or watched football,” Kemboi recounted.

“He was a very big Chelsea fan,” added Kemboi as he ushered us into another, dimly-lit room which acts as a video show room.

Here, we also learn that Kiptum used to pay for everyone to watch him whenever he raced abroad.

“Any time Kiptum was racing abroad, we normally gathered here and he would not only always pay for us to watch live sports action, but he would also buy sodas and other refreshments for us to enjoy as we watched,” said Leon Kipkemoi, another resident of Chepkorio.

“Every time he won a race, the celebrations would normally start at this very place all the way to his village home, which is about two kilometres away in Chepsamo. We will miss that dearly because for us, Kiptum was not just a friend. He was a brother,” added Kipkemoi.

Charity Chepchumba, who runs a shop at the Centre, says Kiptum’s character never changed a bit even after he posted good results and even broke the world marathon record.

“I have known Kiptum for many year. His routine and personality has never changed. Every day after training, he passed by here, bought milk then went to his house.

Always in a jovial mood

“After evening training, he would come back to the Centre and hang around with his friends. I never heard him pick up a quarrel with anyone. He was always in a jovial mood and would never pass you without greetings,” said an emotional Chepchumba.

At the Centre, we also learn that Kiptum had a nickname. He was fondly referred to as “Vardy”, a nickname given by his fellow football fans ostensibly due to his lean frame which resembled that of former English Premier League champions Leicester City striker, Jamie Vardy.

The residents tell us Kiptum had vowed to break the two-hour marathon barrier at the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14.

“Before he left for any race, he would always promise us a that he would do his best, and that whenever we saw him raise up his hands, we should start celebrating because he was going to cross the finish line in a good time,” said Kemboi, referring to the fallen athlete’s signature celebration style.

Kiptum, who held the world record at two hours and 35 seconds set at the Chicago Marathon last October, was scheduled to compete at the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14, targeting the first sub two-hour finish in a competitive race.

In October, 2019, Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in an unofficial, choreographed challenge in Vienna to become the first man to run the marathon in under two hours.