Benson Masya was a Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

n long-distance runner and marathon

Marathon

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 specialist, who competed in the late 1980s and 1990s. He participated at the inaugural IAAF World Half Marathon Championships

IAAF World Half Marathon Championships

The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an annual half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was contested from 1992 to 2005, and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships, a 20 kilometres race which had its inaugural...

 in 1992 and finished in first place.

Masya was a Kamba

Kamba

The Kamba are a Bantu ethnic group who live in the semi-arid Eastern Province of Kenya stretching east from Nairobi to Tsavo and north up to Embu, Kenya. This land is called Ukambani. Sources vary on whether they are the third, fourth or the fifth largest ethnic group in Kenya...

 by ethnicity.

Initially he was a boxer

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 attached to Kenyan postal service before concentrating on running. He won the Great North Run

Great North Run

The Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...

 a record four times; in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1996. He also won the City-Pier-City Loop

City-Pier-City Loop

The CPC Loop Den Haag is an annual half marathon competition held in the Hague, Netherlands, every mid-March....

 half marathon in the Hague

The Hague

The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...

 twice in 1993 and 1994.

His career as a top runner came to a premature end. The Portsmouth 10 Mile race in 1996 was among his last notable achievements. His reveller lifestyle may have contributed to deteriorating performances. Masya died in September 2003, aged 33, after a period of illness. At his death, he was accompanied by his friend Cosmas Ndeti

Cosmas Ndeti

Cosmas Ndeti is a three time winner of the Boston Marathon. He was the winner of the 1993, 1994, and 1995 races. He set the course record in 1994 with a time of 2:07:15, which was also the best marathon performance in 1994...

. Masya was buried in Kitui

Kitui

Kitui is a town in Kenya, 130 kilometers east of Nairobi and 75 kilometers east of Machakos. It used to be the capital of the Kitui District in Eastern Province of Kenya. Due to political reforms, Kitui is now the headquarters of Kitui County, which covers a larger area than the former district did...

.

Achievements

Representing
1991	Honolulu Marathon Honolulu Marathon The Honolulu Marathon is one of the world's largest marathons. It takes place annually in Honolulu, Hawaii on the second Sunday in December. - History :...	Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...	1st	Marathon	2:18:24
1992	World Half Marathon Championships IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an annual half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was contested from 1992 to 2005, and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships, a 20 kilometres race which had its inaugural...	Newcastle, United Kingdom Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...	1st	Half marathon	1:00:24 1992 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships The 1st IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on September 19 and 20, 2001 in Tyneside, UK, and was run simultaneously with that year's Great North Run. A total of 204 athletes, 97 men, 83 women and 24 juniors, from 36 countries took part....
	Honolulu Marathon Honolulu Marathon The Honolulu Marathon is one of the world's largest marathons. It takes place annually in Honolulu, Hawaii on the second Sunday in December. - History :...	Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...	1st	Marathon	2:14:19
1993	City-Pier-City Loop City-Pier-City Loop The CPC Loop Den Haag is an annual half marathon competition held in the Hague, Netherlands, every mid-March....	The Hague, Netherlands	1st	Half Marathon	1:00:24
1994	City-Pier-City Loop City-Pier-City Loop The CPC Loop Den Haag is an annual half marathon competition held in the Hague, Netherlands, every mid-March....	The Hague, Netherlands	1st	Half Marathon	1:02:00
	Honolulu Marathon Honolulu Marathon The Honolulu Marathon is one of the world's largest marathons. It takes place annually in Honolulu, Hawaii on the second Sunday in December. - History :...	Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...	1st	Marathon	2:15:04
1997	Stockholm Marathon Stockholm Marathon The Stockholm Marathon, known as the ASICS Stockholm Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon arranged in Stockholm, Sweden since 1979. It serves as the Swedish marathon championship race...	Stockholm, Sweden	1st	Marathon	2:17:22