Elijah Lagat

Kenyan long-distance runner Elijah Lagat won multiple marathon titles before becoming a politician after his retirement. At home Lagat finished second in the Mombasa Marathon in 1993, repeating the result at the Frankfurt Marathon in Germany two years later. After a couple of top-ten finishes in marathons in Europe, he then won the 1997 Berlin Marathon, followed by the Prague Marathon one year later. He continued to be consistent, finishing in the top-ten in marathons in Chicago, Paris, and New York, before winning the Boston Marathon in 2000.

The performance initially earned Lagat a place on the Olympic team for the Sydney Games, but he was dropped from the squad after the Kenyan Athletics Association claimed he had not been training hard enough. Ondoro Osoro was chosen to replace Lagat; however, Osoro was injured after being shot during a carjacking in Kenya. Lagat was then reinstated to the team, but he failed to finish the race in Sydney.

In 2001 Lagat tried to defend his marathon title in Boston but finished down in 17th. A few months later he ran in the Madrid Marathon, finishing sixth. He then began to pursue a career in politics, standing as a candidate in the 2002 Kenyan general election, although he did not get elected. Five years later he was successful becoming a member of the Kenyan parliament representing the Orange Democratic Movement.

Personal Best: Mar – 2-07:41 (1997).