Some 13 years ago in 2011, Timothy Kiplagat was on the verge of giving up in life.
Then a fresh-faced, jobless 18-year-old, he took refuge in alcohol dens, consuming the tradition busaa brew by the gallon in futile attempts to ward off depression.
Part-time jobs as a cattle herder would help him foot his bills and fund his temporary reprieve in the tipple.
Fast-forward to 2024 and after completing a remarkable transformation, Kiplagat is now on the cusp of greatness, selected to Kenya’s Olympic marathon team to the 2024 Paris Games.
His rise from the ashes has been a roller-coaster one, sinking to the nadir of losing a celebrated training partner to the zenith of a second place finish at the Tokyo Marathon earlier this month.
Last year, Kiplagat announced his marathon intentions by finishing second in the Rotterdam Marathon, his attacking, front-running style endearing him to Athletics Kenya selectors who drafted him into the provisional, 10-man Olympic marathon team alongside defending champion Eliud Kipchoge, world record holder Kelvin Kiptum.
Others selected were Vincent Kipkemoi Ng’etich, Benson Kipruto, Bernard Kiprop Koech, Geoffrey Kamworor, Cyprian Kotut, Amos Kipruto and Titus Kipruto.
But Kiplagat’s world came tumbling down last month when his mentor and training partner Kiptum was killed in a car crash alongside his Rwandan coach, Gervais Hakizimana.
Kelvin Kiptum celebrates with his coach Gervais Hakizimana after he broke the world marathon record in Chicago in October, 2023.
Photo credit: Pool | Golazo Sport
That he recovered from the shock to finish second in the Tokyo Marathon on March 3, just 13 days after Kiptum’s burial remains nothing short of a miracle for Kiplagat.
“I wanted to be on the podium in Tokyo. I prepared well until my friend died in an accident and it really affected me. I was confused…. why him…. a young athlete had just died that way. I asked myself a lot of questions with no answers,” narrated Kiplagat upon return from Tokyo.
After almost withdrawing from the race, he was inspired for the Tokyo Marathon challenge as a tribute to Kiptum.
The Tokyo Marathon had a stellar elite field, led by Olympic champion Kipchoge who held the world marathon record at two hours, one minutes and nine seconds from the 2022 Berlin Marathon before Kiptum lowered it to 2:00:35 in Chicago last October.
Kiplagat knew that he had to work extremely hard to be in a good position. “We had big names and my coach Nicholas Koech had asked me not to fear anyone, and that gave me enough courage to tackle the race because I knew everybody had just trained like me and that is what kept me going until I finished second,” he said.
At the pre-race technical briefing at the elite athletes’ Keiyo Plaza Hotel in downtown Tokyo, Kiplagat was all ears.
“The first group is expected to cross the 10-kilometre mark in 28 minutes while the 21km (halfway) mark will be timed at 60:40,” race officials, led by long-serving director Tad Hayano, explained to the runners.
Now, this was going to be a blistering pace, targeting a finishing time of 2:01:20 with a possible stab at Kiptum’s world record 2:00:35 if negative splits (faster second half) were employed.
Kiplagat then decided to follow the lead pack from behind, cognisant of the fact that following the set pace from the front would be recipe for self-destruction.
“When the race started, I decided to follow group one and I had planned to set my own pace and by the time we reached 17km, I saw Kipchoge slow down and when I went ahead, I knew it might be his tactic to increase his pace in the second part of the race. But he didn’t pick up.
“The race was getting tougher and even the pacemakers dropped before (their designated) 30km and we asked the remaining one to push us up to the 30km mark but he said he was so tired and he decided to drop at 25km,” explained Kiplagat.
Benson Kipruto of Kenya crosses the finish line to win men's race during the Tokyo Marathon on March 3, 2024.
Photo credit: Reuters
Race winner and compatriot Benson Kipruto caught up with Kiplagat at the 27km mark and tried to urge him on.
“At 31km, my leg had an issue and that slowed me down before Kipruto gave me company up to 37km and that is when he went all the way and I couldn’t react.
“I’m glad to have run my personal best time of 2:02:55. I ran this race in honour of my friend Kiptum, a hero who came and showed us what a marathon race is and left suddenly when we didn’t expect,” he said.
But just how did Kiplagat start his elite running career and become one of the most sought after distance runners?
In December 17, 2022, Kiplagat had been tasked by his management (Rosa Associati) to pace for the leading group at the Abu Dhabi Marathon, something he prepared for, and he was to drop at the 30km mark.
But upon reaching the designated mark, someone following the group asked him if he was confident enough to finish the race. Because those he was leading were far behind.
From left: Ethiopia's Leul Gebresilase, Kenya's Timothy Kiplagat and other athletes compete in the men's marathon final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on August 27, 2023.
Photo credit: Aleksandra Szmigiel | AFP
Nahashon Kibon, his relative, who is also a well-known coach, sought to find out if he was still in training.
At the time, Kiplagat herded livestock for a living in Torongo, Baringo County.
Kiplagat told Kibon that he had given up on the idea of running a long time ago, and he thought it wise to continue doing manual work to earn a living.
“To tell the truth I could have died a long time ago if I had continued with the lifestyle I was living before I was rescued by Nahashon (Kibon),” the now star athlete, who dropped out of school in Form Two due to lack of fees.
“I used to work and get money then head to the local brew dens where I would drink up all the savings and remain broke once again.”
In 2011, Kibon insisted that Kiplagat abandons what he was doing and proceeds to his (Kibon’s) home in Eldoret so that he could join an elite athletics training programme, something Kiplagat was reluctant about.
“When Nahashon insisted that I should join him, I asked myself ‘where would I get shoes,’ but he sent me some cash to buy a pair and to also shave my hair because I looked like a Rastafarian.
“Upon buying the shoes, he sent me another Sh1,000 to go to a barber shop. For a moment, I was tempted to flee with the money, but I later decided to do the right thing.
“My hair was tough and dirty, and the barber had to shave at an increased, “hardship” cost of Sh500.
“I then boarded a matatu to Eldoret, where Kibon lived, and the funny thing is that he was driving to the same place but just wanted to see if I would be faithful and head straight to his home as agreed,” he narrated.
From left: France's Mehdi Frere, Kenya's Timothy Kiplagat, Rwanda's John Hakizimana, and other athletes compete in the men's marathon final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on August 27, 2023.
Photo credit: Attila Kisbenedek | AFP
On arrival, Kiplagat was asked to supervise the construction of Kibon’s house in order to raise some income and pay bills.
In 2013, Kibon unsuccessfully tried to get Kiplagat into an elite training camp in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
But Kiplagat told him that running wasn’t in his heart because he was getting old, but Kibon would hear none of it.
In 2014, Kibon’s family moved to the new house in Eldoret with three other athletes and Kiplagat was now tasked to take the athletes round for training.
The feedback from the athletes was that their “guide” was, surprisingly, a great runner too!
“I was later called and given some shoes and that’s how I started training in 2015,” recalls Kiplagat.
“In 2016, I went to Iten, once again, but the weather conditions were not favourable for me and I was forced to change the training location, joining (multiple world and Olympic steeplechase champion) Ezekiel Kemboi in Chepkoilel, Uasin Gishu County.
“We used to compete at various events and I would emerge number 150 and above, but he went on encouraging me to continue working hard.
“The best I did was the Chemususu Half marathon where I was in 40th position,” recalls Kiplagat.
He would later compete at the Discovery Cross Country Championships in 2017 and that’s how he joined Italy-based Rosa Associati Management after emerging third in the senior race.
From then, his rise to the top has been steady, making his Team Kenya debut at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where he finished in 13th place, a ranking he blames on the hot conditions that affected his performance.
In retrospection, Kibon says he knew Kiplagat would be a good athlete if monitored well and offered a good training programme.
“He is a disciplined, faithful and focused athlete who can go far when he sticks to what he does.
“I saw his potential and had to rescue him and I’m happy he is doing well and this is just but a start. He is going places,” Kibon added with a sense of deep pride.
