Sharon Cherop
Encyclopedia
Sharon Jemutai Cherop (born 16 March 1984) is a Kenya
n long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon
. She won a bronze medal
at the age of sixteen in the 5000 metres
at the World Junior Championships
. She was the bronze medal winner in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
.
After her junior medals, it was not until 2010 that she enjoyed senior level success. She made her marathon debut at the Twin Cities Marathon
(coming third) and won her first marathons in 2010, first at the Hamburg Marathon
and then at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
, which she won in 2:22:42 to set a personal best and the fastest marathon time on Canadian soil.
of Kenya. She and all three of her siblings took up athletics at a young age. She ran for her school, Tirap Primary School, and began competing at province level at age 13. She was inspired by Catherine Ndereba
, who lived locally, and Evans Rutto
(another local marathoner) promised to help her if she performed well.
Cherop's first major competition was the 1999 All-Africa Games
at the age of 15, but she did not make the podium, coming in fourth place. She was the bronze medal
list over 5000 metres
at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics
, finishing behind Dorcus Inzikuru
and Meseret Defar
. She started training with Sing'ore Girls, under running coach Boniface Tiren, and worked alongside other promising young runners, including future world champions Janeth Jepkosgei
and Vivian Cheruiyot
. A knee injury cut short her running season in 2001.
At the Discovery Kenya Great Rift Cross Country in January 2002 she took third place in the senior race behind race winner Joan Jepkorir Aiyabei. She also had national success on the track, winning the 5000 m at the 2004 Athletics Kenya
meet. At the Kenya Police Cross Country Championships in January 2005 she took third place in the 8 km race behind Olympic medallist Isabella Ochichi
and Cross Country medallist Jane Gakunyi.
She entered the half marathon
section of the Nairobi Marathon
in October 2005 and she was runner-up behind Lineth Chepkirui. She returned to the cross country running
circuit a month later and was third at one of the AK meetings. She took part in the inaugural Shoe4Africa Women's 10km race in Iten
and ran a personal best of 36:02 to take second behind Doris Changeywo
. The 21-year-old Cherop had begun training with a prominent group of road athletes
, including Chicago Marathon
winner Evans Rutto
and Boston
champion Lameck Aguta
. She began focusing more on road competitions and was third at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Race
at the end of the year. She was fifth at the 15th Discovery Kenya Cross Country Championships in January 2007.
debut at the Twin Cities Marathon
in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. She led alongside Svetlana Ponomarenko
for most of the race but she was overhauled by the Russian and Alena Vinitskaya in the final mile, having to settle for third place with a time of 2:38:45. She took on the classic distance for a second time in April 2008 at the Country Music Marathon
in Nashville, where Ponomarenko again took top honours while Cherop (15 years her junior) finished in fourth place. At the Azalea Trail Run
in May she set a 10K best of 32:43 for fourth place.
Her first marathon of 2009 came at the Nairobi Marathon
and she knocked several minutes off her personal best with a run of 2:33:53 for third place. In the women's 15 km race at the Baringo Half Marathon
in December 2009 she engaged in a race-long battle for the lead against Agnes Kiprop
, although she faded in the final stages and was runner-up in 52:01 minutes. The following year she entered the Hamburg Marathon
and ran a solo effort to win the race and a significant personal best of 2:28:38 – over five minutes quicker than her previous time. "It was hard running alone for so long, but I concentrated well", she said of her first major win in Europe. This mark did not stand for long as she improved again at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
in September 2010, where she fell over mid-race but recovered to hold off Tirfi Tsegaye to win the race in a time of 2:22:42 – the fastest ever run in Canada, beating Lidia Simon
's all-comers record set at the 2001 World Championships
in Edmonton
.
A third place finish at the 2011 Boston Marathon
brought Cherop a place on the national marathon team. She went on to take the bronze medal
in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
– her first international senior medal. Her placing also formed a Kenyan podium sweep with Edna Kiplagat
and Priscah Jeptoo
, which was a first for a world-level marathon competition. In November she set a personal best at the Delhi Half Marathon, coming second behind Lucy Wangui
in a time of 1:07:08 hours.
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 who specialises in the 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...
. She won a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
at the age of sixteen in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
at the World Junior Championships
2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2000 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Santiago, Chile.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
. She was the bronze medal winner in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
.
After her junior medals, it was not until 2010 that she enjoyed senior level success. She made her marathon debut at the Twin Cities Marathon
Twin Cities Marathon
The Twin Cities Marathon is an annual marathon in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The race is often dubbed "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America." The TCM was first run in 1982, and typically takes place during the first weekend in October. In 2006 the Marathon agreed to its first...
(coming third) and won her first marathons in 2010, first at the Hamburg Marathon
Hamburg Marathon
The Hamburg Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of held in Hamburg, Germany. In 2009, 13,938 participants were counted.- History :The first edition took place in 1986 with about 8,000 participants...
and then at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the last Sunday in September. Starting from 2011, the marathon will be held in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race....
, which she won in 2:22:42 to set a personal best and the fastest marathon time on Canadian soil.
Early competition
Cherop grew up in a family of cattle-raisers in the Marakwet DistrictMarakwet District
Marakwet District is an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Kapsowar. The district has a population of 140.629 . Local people are predominantly of the Marakwet tribe....
of Kenya. She and all three of her siblings took up athletics at a young age. She ran for her school, Tirap Primary School, and began competing at province level at age 13. She was inspired by Catherine Ndereba
Catherine Ndereba
Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba is a Kenyan marathon runner. She has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals in the Olympics in 2004 and 2008. She is also a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon...
, who lived locally, and Evans Rutto
Evans Rutto
Evans Rutto is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in road running events. He made the fastest ever debut marathon by winning the 2003 Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:50...
(another local marathoner) promised to help her if she performed well.
Cherop's first major competition was the 1999 All-Africa Games
1999 All-Africa Games
The 7th All-Africa Games were held from September 10, 1999 to September 19, 1999 in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa. 53 countries participated in eighteen sports. Netball was included as a demonstration sport....
at the age of 15, but she did not make the podium, coming in fourth place. She was the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
list over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics
2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2000 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Santiago, Chile.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
, finishing behind Dorcus Inzikuru
Dorcus Inzikuru
Dorcus Inzikuru is a Ugandan athlete competing in steeplechase. She won the inaugural World title in women's 3000 m steeplechase, as well as the first Commonwealth title in the event. Her coach is Renato Canova. Sometimes her name is spelt "Docus"...
and Meseret Defar
Meseret Defar
Meseret Defar is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres...
. She started training with Sing'ore Girls, under running coach Boniface Tiren, and worked alongside other promising young runners, including future world champions Janeth Jepkosgei
Janeth Jepkosgei
Janeth Jepkosgei is a Kenyan middle distance runner and world champion.- Early career :Janeth, nicknamed "Eldoret Express" is from Kabirirsang, near Kapsabet. Famous athletes Wilson Kipketer and Wilfred Bungei are also from the same village. She started athletics while at Kapsumbeiywo Primary...
and Vivian Cheruiyot
Vivian Cheruiyot
Vivian Cheruiyot is an athlete from Kenya who specialises in long distance running. She represented Kenya at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics...
. A knee injury cut short her running season in 2001.
At the Discovery Kenya Great Rift Cross Country in January 2002 she took third place in the senior race behind race winner Joan Jepkorir Aiyabei. She also had national success on the track, winning the 5000 m at the 2004 Athletics Kenya
Athletics Kenya
Athletics Kenya is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Kenya. It is a member of the IAAF and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan teams to international championships. Isaiah Kiplagat is the current chairman of...
meet. At the Kenya Police Cross Country Championships in January 2005 she took third place in the 8 km race behind Olympic medallist Isabella Ochichi
Isabella Ochichi
Isabella Bosibori Ochichi from Kenya was the silver medal winner in the final of the women's 5,000 meter race at the 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece. She finished in a time of 14:48.19, about 2.5 seconds behind the winner, Meseret Defar of Ethiopia.In 1997, aged 17, she competed in...
and Cross Country medallist Jane Gakunyi.
She entered the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
section of the Nairobi Marathon
Nairobi Marathon
Nairobi Marathon is an annual road running competition over the marathon distance which held in October in Nairobi, Kenya. First held in 2003, the competition expanded and now includes a half marathon race along with the main race....
in October 2005 and she was runner-up behind Lineth Chepkirui. She returned to the cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
circuit a month later and was third at one of the AK meetings. She took part in the inaugural Shoe4Africa Women's 10km race in Iten
Iten
Iten is a town in Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It is located along the road between Eldoret and Kabarnet. Elgeyo escarpment and Kerio River are located east of Iten. The town has a population of 4000 ....
and ran a personal best of 36:02 to take second behind Doris Changeywo
Doris Changeywo
Doris Chepkwemoi Changeywo is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the 10,000 metres and cross country running....
. The 21-year-old Cherop had begun training with a prominent group of road athletes
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
, including Chicago Marathon
Chicago Marathon
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
winner Evans Rutto
Evans Rutto
Evans Rutto is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in road running events. He made the fastest ever debut marathon by winning the 2003 Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:50...
and Boston
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...
champion Lameck Aguta
Lameck Aguta
Lameck Aguta is a former Kenyan marathon runner. He was the winner of the 101st Boston Marathon in 1997 with a time of 2:10:34 hours....
. She began focusing more on road competitions and was third at the Tegla Loroupe Peace Race
Tegla Loroupe Peace Race
The Tegla Loroupe Peace Race is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in November in Kapenguria, in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. First held in 2003, the race was created by Kenyan runner Tegla Loroupe to bring together warriors of rival tribes to reduce conflict in the...
at the end of the year. She was fifth at the 15th Discovery Kenya Cross Country Championships in January 2007.
Marathon debut
Cherop made her debut on the American road running circuit later that year, starting with a win at the News and Sentinel Half Marathon in a time of 1:12:26, and then a fourth place finish in a personal best of 1:10:21 at the Philadelphia Distance Run. In October she made her marathonMarathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
debut at the Twin Cities Marathon
Twin Cities Marathon
The Twin Cities Marathon is an annual marathon in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The race is often dubbed "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America." The TCM was first run in 1982, and typically takes place during the first weekend in October. In 2006 the Marathon agreed to its first...
in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. She led alongside Svetlana Ponomarenko
Svetlana Ponomarenko
Svetlana Ponomarenko is a Russian long-distance runner who competes professionally in marathon races. She has a best of 2:29:55 hours for the distance. She won six consecutive marathons—going unbeaten from 2006 to 2008—winning in Frankfurt, Dallas , Minneapolis, Nashville and Athens,...
for most of the race but she was overhauled by the Russian and Alena Vinitskaya in the final mile, having to settle for third place with a time of 2:38:45. She took on the classic distance for a second time in April 2008 at the Country Music Marathon
Country Music Marathon
The Country Music Marathon is located in Nashville, TN. The route begins in Centennial Park and continues along many of Nashville's sights including music row, Belmont University, the State Capitol Building, the Cumberland River, Shelby Park, Shelby Bottoms Greenway, and ends outside LP Field,...
in Nashville, where Ponomarenko again took top honours while Cherop (15 years her junior) finished in fourth place. At the Azalea Trail Run
Azalea Trail Run
The Azalea Trail Run is an annual road running event held in late March in Mobile, Alabama which is considered one of the United States' premier road races. Runners, walkers, and wheelchair athletes from around the world and at all levels turn out for the event...
in May she set a 10K best of 32:43 for fourth place.
Her first marathon of 2009 came at the Nairobi Marathon
Nairobi Marathon
Nairobi Marathon is an annual road running competition over the marathon distance which held in October in Nairobi, Kenya. First held in 2003, the competition expanded and now includes a half marathon race along with the main race....
and she knocked several minutes off her personal best with a run of 2:33:53 for third place. In the women's 15 km race at the Baringo Half Marathon
Baringo Half Marathon
The Baringo Half Marathon is an annual road running competition for men and women over the half marathon distance which takes place every December in Baringo, Kenya...
in December 2009 she engaged in a race-long battle for the lead against Agnes Kiprop
Agnes Kiprop
Agnes Jepkemoi Kiprop is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in marathon events.Born in Marakwet, Kenya, her international debut came as a junior runner at the 1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where she was one of six Kenyan youngsters in the top ten of the junior women's race...
, although she faded in the final stages and was runner-up in 52:01 minutes. The following year she entered the Hamburg Marathon
Hamburg Marathon
The Hamburg Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of held in Hamburg, Germany. In 2009, 13,938 participants were counted.- History :The first edition took place in 1986 with about 8,000 participants...
and ran a solo effort to win the race and a significant personal best of 2:28:38 – over five minutes quicker than her previous time. "It was hard running alone for so long, but I concentrated well", she said of her first major win in Europe. This mark did not stand for long as she improved again at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the last Sunday in September. Starting from 2011, the marathon will be held in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race....
in September 2010, where she fell over mid-race but recovered to hold off Tirfi Tsegaye to win the race in a time of 2:22:42 – the fastest ever run in Canada, beating Lidia Simon
Lidia Simon
Lidia Slavuteanu-Simon is a Romanian long-distance runner. She has represented Romania on four consecutive occasions at Olympic level and is a six-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics....
's all-comers record set at the 2001 World Championships
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
.
A third place finish at the 2011 Boston Marathon
2011 Boston Marathon
The 2011 Boston Marathon took place on Monday, April 18, 2011. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the men's race in a time of 2:03:02. In recognizing Mutai's mark as the "fastest Marathon ever run", the International Association of Athletics Federations noted that the performance was not eligible for...
brought Cherop a place on the national marathon team. She went on to take the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
– her first international senior medal. Her placing also formed a Kenyan podium sweep with Edna Kiplagat
Edna Kiplagat
Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She is the 2011 IAAF World Champion in the marathon. she established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and New York City Marathons in 2010...
and Priscah Jeptoo
Priscah Jeptoo
Priscah Jeptoo is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She has won marathons in Paris and Turin and has a best time of 2:22:55 for the distance...
, which was a first for a world-level marathon competition. In November she set a personal best at the Delhi Half Marathon, coming second behind Lucy Wangui
Lucy Wangui
Lucy Wangui Kabuu is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres events. She has represented Kenya twice at the Summer Olympics, finishing in the top ten of the 10,000 m race in both 2004 and 2008...
in a time of 1:07:08 hours.