Elijah Lagat
Encyclopedia
Elijah Kiptarbei Lagat was born and raised in Saniak Village in Nandi District. He was the winner of the 104th running of the Boston Marathon
held in 2000. He won in the closest finish in the race's history when he edged out Gezahgne Abera of Ethiopia
and fellow Kenyan and previous year's champion, Moses Tanui
. Abera and Lagat were both clocked at 2 hours 9 minutes and 47 seconds while Tanui finished three seconds back. Lagat's win enabled the Kenyans to capture the individual men's Boston Marathon title for the 10th straight year. This is a record that still stands.
) with three other Kenyans Ondoro Osoro
, Erick Wainaina and Kenneth Cheruiyot
. He claimed that the three who had initially made the team had not been training hard enough. This move may have been precipitated by poor Kenyan showings in the Olympic marathons in the past. It also may have been brought about by the three initial qualifiers' criticism of the Kenyan Amateur Athletics Association officials. Despite Kenya's many successes in marathoning, The distance running mecca was unable to secure an Olympic gold medal until Samuel Wanjiru's record setting run in the 2008 Beijing games.
Later in the summer of 2000 however, Onsaro was shot in a carjacking incident. Lagat found his way back onto the team as a replacement after being clearly miffed by what he called a strange dismissal from the team. When the Sydney Olympics finally came about, Lagat was on the team and started the race but did not finish. He blamed his failure to finish on excessive preparation for the Olympic marathon; he claimed he wanted to show the Kenyan athletics officials he really could win but overtrained as a result.
in 1997. His best time was a 2:07:41 during his win in Berlin.
He tried to defend his Boston title in 2001 but finished 17th with a time of 2:17:59 that year. He has not competed at the same level since then.
parliamentary seats. After initial resistance, Lagat agreed and vied for the seat on KANU
ticket. He lost, however, to Stephen Kipkiyeny Tarus who represented the victorious NARC
coalition. After the elections, Lagat continued his athletics career.
At the 2007 parliamentary elections
, Lagat successfully vied for Emgwen Constituency parliamentary seat on ODM
ticket, beating Tarus, who now represented the PNU
party.
He has a degree in History from Baraton University, and besides being MP, is studying for an MBA in Strategic Management at Africa Nazarene University
.
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
held in 2000. He won in the closest finish in the race's history when he edged out Gezahgne Abera of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
and fellow Kenyan and previous year's champion, Moses Tanui
Moses Tanui
Moses Tanui is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who won the gold medal over 10000 m at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo....
. Abera and Lagat were both clocked at 2 hours 9 minutes and 47 seconds while Tanui finished three seconds back. Lagat's win enabled the Kenyans to capture the individual men's Boston Marathon title for the 10th straight year. This is a record that still stands.
2000 Sydney Olympics Marathon Controversy
Lagat's win in the Boston Marathon initially gave him a spot on Kenya's marathon team in the 2000 Olympics. Lagat indicated his enthusiasm for running in the Olympics immediately after Boston. However, later in the year the director of the Kenyan Amateur Athletics Association, David Okeyo, replaced the three runners who had initially made the team (Lagat, Tanui and Japhet KosgeiJaphet Kosgei
Japhet Kosgei is a retired long-distance runner from Kenya, who won several marathons during his career, including the 1999 edition of the Rotterdam Marathon and 2006 Belgrade Marathon. His personal best is 2:07:09. He won the Lisbon Half Marathon 1999.-Achievements:- References :...
) with three other Kenyans Ondoro Osoro
Ondoro Osoro
Ondoro Osoro is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who competed mostly in cross country and road races.In his early career he won a series of cross country races in Europe and twice represented Kenya at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships...
, Erick Wainaina and Kenneth Cheruiyot
Kenneth Cheruiyot
Kenneth Cheruiyot is an athlete from Kenya who specialises in long-distance running. He is most famous for winning the Rotterdam Marathon in 2000. Following years he finished second in the event in 2001 and 2002...
. He claimed that the three who had initially made the team had not been training hard enough. This move may have been precipitated by poor Kenyan showings in the Olympic marathons in the past. It also may have been brought about by the three initial qualifiers' criticism of the Kenyan Amateur Athletics Association officials. Despite Kenya's many successes in marathoning, The distance running mecca was unable to secure an Olympic gold medal until Samuel Wanjiru's record setting run in the 2008 Beijing games.
Later in the summer of 2000 however, Onsaro was shot in a carjacking incident. Lagat found his way back onto the team as a replacement after being clearly miffed by what he called a strange dismissal from the team. When the Sydney Olympics finally came about, Lagat was on the team and started the race but did not finish. He blamed his failure to finish on excessive preparation for the Olympic marathon; he claimed he wanted to show the Kenyan athletics officials he really could win but overtrained as a result.
Reasons for Running
Lagat began running simply to lose weight and not necessarily to compete at the highest level of the sport. As a young man, a physician told him that he "had a lot of fat around his heart" and needed to lose weight. The Kenyan obliged and his weight decreased from 158 pounds in 1992 to 125 by the time he won Boston. He started jogging in 1993 and began competing in 1994. He was already 27 when he first began competing; his late start in the sport is unusual and a testament to his innate talent. Before running, Lagat worked as an educational administrator before switching to full-time athlete.Other Notable Performances
Lagat won the Prague Marathon in 1998 and the Berlin MarathonBerlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...
in 1997. His best time was a 2:07:41 during his win in Berlin.
He tried to defend his Boston title in 2001 but finished 17th with a time of 2:17:59 that year. He has not competed at the same level since then.
Politics
Prior to the 2002 general elections, Lagat was persuaded by his friends to vie for the Emgwen ConstituencyEmgwen Constituency
Emgwen Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of four constituencies of Nandi District. The constituency was established for the 1997 elections.- Members of Parliament :- Wards :...
parliamentary seats. After initial resistance, Lagat agreed and vied for the seat on KANU
Kenya African National Union
The Kenya African National Union, better known as KANU is a political party which ruled Kenya for nearly 40 years after its independence from British colonial rule in 1963, until its electoral loss at the end of 2002...
ticket. He lost, however, to Stephen Kipkiyeny Tarus who represented the victorious NARC
National Rainbow Coalition
The National Rainbow Coalition was a coalition of Kenyan political parties in power from 2002 and 2005 when it fell apart in a controversy between its wings about a constitutional referendum.-Formation:...
coalition. After the elections, Lagat continued his athletics career.
At the 2007 parliamentary elections
Kenyan parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections in Kenya were held as part of the Kenyan general election on December 27, 2007; presidential elections were held on the same date....
, Lagat successfully vied for Emgwen Constituency parliamentary seat on ODM
Orange Democratic Movement
Orange Democratic Movement refers to a political party in Kenya, which is the successor of a former grassroots people's movement which was formed in the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum. The erstwhile single party which separated in August 2007 into two...
ticket, beating Tarus, who now represented the PNU
Party of National Unity (Kenya)
Party of National Unity was founded as a political coalition of parties in Kenya. On September 16, 2007, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announced the party formation and said that he would run as its presidential candidate in the December 2007 Kenyan elections...
party.
He has a degree in History from Baraton University, and besides being MP, is studying for an MBA in Strategic Management at Africa Nazarene University
Africa Nazarene University
Africa Nazarene University is a liberal arts university located in Ongata Rongai, Kenya affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. It is the first Nazarene liberal arts university established outside of the United States...
.
Achievements
| Representing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Berlin Marathon Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate... |
Berlin, Germany | 1st | Marathon | 2:07:41 |
| 1998 | Prague Marathon | Prague, Czech Republic | 1st | Marathon | 2:08:52 |
| 2000 | Boston Marathon Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest... |
Boston, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:09:47 |
| Olympic Games Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, 46 events in athletics were contested, 24 for men and 22 for women. There were a total number of 2134 participating athletes from 193 countries.-Men's events:... |
Sydney, Australia | — | Marathon | DNF Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon The Men's Marathon event at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place on October 1, 2000 in Sydney, Australia.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:*All times shown are in hours:minutes:seconds-Records:-Final ranking:-References:... |
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