Martin Lel

Martin Lel, born on 29 October 1978, is a Kenyan professional long-distance and marathon runner from the Rift Valley region. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007 and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great North Run in 2007 and 2009. His personal best of 2:05:15 came at the 2008 London Marathon, where he set a course record. He took gold at the 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, and he made his Olympic debut for Kenya at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing fifth in the marathon. After years away from the distance he returned to take second place at the London Marathon in 2011 and 2012. In 2011 a charity opened a school bearing his name in his home village, and his brother Cyprian Kimurgor Kotut won the 2016 Paris Marathon.