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Kelvin Kiptum is the latest kid on the block after his recent exploits at the just concluded 2023 London Marathon.
Marathon races are known to be one of the categories that have fewer athletes with most of the top 10 fastest male marathoners coming from Kenya and Ethiopia with a few exceptions from other parts of the world.
Meanwhile, the six World Marathon Majors (WMM) are some of the most lucrative races one would ever want to participate in because of the prize money, and definitely, an athlete will be keen to run their fastest times to increase their chances of getting the top prize and making their way to the highly coveted list of the top 10 fastest marathoners in the world.
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The WMM includes the Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon, Boston Marathon, Tokyo Marathon, and London Marathon. In this article, we review the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
Top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world (2023)
10. Lawrence Cherono (Personal best time)- 2:03:04
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Lawrence Cherono is a Kenyan long-distance runner aged 34 years. Cherono achieved the status of being among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world after clocking 2:03:04 to settle for second place at the 2020 Valencia Marathon.
At the time, he was the eighth fastest marathoner but he was slowly dethroned after other great male marathoners in the game stepped up.
Unfortunately, On July 16, 2022, Cherono tested positive for trimetazidine and was provisionally suspended. However, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) did not disqualify his results at the 2020 Valencia Marathon so he still remains among the list of top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
9. Gabriel Geay (Personal best time)- 2:03:00
Gabriel Geay is a 26-year-old Tanzanian long-distance runner. He found himself among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world after clocking 2:03:00 to settle for second place at the 2022 Valencia Marathon.
The Tanzanian also brags of a second-place finish at the 2023 Boston Marathon. During last year’s World Championships in Oregon, Geay placed seventh.
He has had a steady rise in his career and finally, his hard work is paying off well. He surely deserves to be among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
8. Evans Chebet (Personal best time)- 2:03:00
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Kenya's Evans Chebet is a long-distance runner who trains in Kapsabet, Nandi County. The 34-year-old made it to the list of the top fastest male marathoners in the world after clocking 2:03:00 to win the 2020 Valencia Marathon.
Chebet is also a two-time Boston Marathon champion, with back-to-back titles that he won in 2022 and 2023. He is also the 2022 New York City Marathon champion. During the 2016 Berlin Marathon, Chebet settled for third place in 2:05:31.
It is safe to say Chebet has successfully earned himself a spot among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world courtesy of his hard work.
7. Titus Ekiru (Personal best time)- 2:02:57
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Little-known Titus Ekiru is a Kenyan long-distance runner aged 31 years. Ekiru made his presence known among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world after obliterating a strong field to win the 2021 Milano City Marathon in 2:02:57 and set a new course record.
Since 2018, Ekiru has won all the marathons he has competed in. In 2018, he ran at the San Diego Marathon, Mexico City Marathon, and Honolulu Marathon and won all of them.
He then won the 2019 Milano City Marathon and the Honolulu Marathon. On top of winning the 2021 Milano City Marathon, he went ahead and won the Abu Dhabi Marathon later that year.
In 2019, he became the first Kenyan to win the half marathon race at the African Games held in Rabat, Morocco and he surely deserves a place in the list of the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
6. Dennis Kimetto (Personal best time)- 2:02:57
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Dennis Kimetto, 39, is a Kenyan long-distance runner and a former world marathon record holder, exploits that saw him earn a place among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
The 2013 Tokyo Marathon champion took top honours in the 2015 Berlin Marathon where he set a new world record of 2:02:57, now the sixth-fastest time in the world over the 42km distance.
Kimetto is also the 2013 Chicago Marathon champion and he placed second at the 2012 Berlin Marathon. The last time he competed at an international event was at the 2019 Daegu Marathon and he could not finish the race.
Despite this, he is still one of the greatest marathoners and he deserves a place among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
5. Mosinet Geremew (Personal best time)- 2:02:55
Mosinet Geremew, a 31-year-old Ethiopian long-distance runner, is also among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world. The 2015 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon champion got the honours of becoming the fifth fastest marathoner in the world after placing second at the 2019 London Marathon.
Geremew has also participated at the World Championships thrice where he took silver in two editions, the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, and last year’s event in Oregon, USA. During the 2015 edition in Beijing, China, he placed 11th over the 10,000m distance.
He also placed second at the 2018 Chicago Marathon and his fifth place among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world makes him a great marathoner.
4. Birhanu Legese (Personal best time)- 2:02:48
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Birhanu Legese is a 28-year-old Ethiopian long-distance runner and two-time Tokyo Marathon champion, with back-to-back titles he won during the 2019 and 2020 editions.
He made it to the list of the top 10 fastest marathoners in the world after settling for second place during the 2019 Berlin Marathon. He clocked 2:02:48 to cross the finish line, which qualifies for a fourth-place among the top 10 fastest marathoners in the world.
He kickstarted his marathon career in 2018 when he settled for sixth place at the Dubai Marathon. Later that year at the Chicago Marathon, he finished 10th. He was competing in the 2023 London Marathon but unfortunately did not finish the race.
3. Kenenisa Bekele (Personal best time)- 2:01:41
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Kenenisa Bekele is one of the most decorated Ethiopian long-distance runners of all time and he definitely had to be among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
The 40-year-old is one of the oldest marathon runners considering he kickstarted his athletics career in 1999 and made his marathon debut at the 2014 Paris Marathon.
Bekele had been the long-serving second-fastest marathoner of all time but was stripped of the title on Sunday, April 23 during the London Marathon. Bekele is now regarded as the third-fastest marathoner after winning the 2019 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:41.
He is also a multiple Cross-country champion and a five-time world champion. In the World Marathon Majors, Bekele has only competed in three editions of the Berlin and two editions of the London Marathons. He is a legendary athlete who deserves a spot among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
2. Kelvin Kiptum (Personal best time)- 2:01:25
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Kelvin Kiptum is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who at 23 years, is among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
During the 2022 Valencia Marathon, as he was making his debut, Kiptum ran the fastest-ever marathon debut to become the third man in history to break the two hours and two minutes barrier. He clocked 2:01:53 to breast the tape.
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19:30 - 21.04.2023
ATHLETICS Kelvin Kiptum confident of flooring bigwigs at the London Marathon
Kiptum is the third fastest marathoner in the world.
He was not done with stunning the masses as he pulled off another surprise at the 2023 London Marathon to win the race in 2:01:25 to become the second fastest marathoner in history. This was only his second marathon.
1. Eliud Kipchoge (Personal best time)- 2:01:09
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Popularly referred to as the G.O.A.T (Greatest Marathoner of All Time), Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan long-distance runner aged 38 years old. Kipchoge is the world marathon record holder and the fastest marathoner in the world, titles he achieved after winning the 2022 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:09.
Kipchoge is a four-time London and Berlin Marathon champion. He was also the 2014 Chicago Marathon champion and the 2021 Tokyo Marathon champion. The only World Marathon Majors he is yet to conquer are the Boston and New York City Marathons and with time, he has promised to conquer them.
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08:25 - 18.04.2023
ATHLETICS Eliud Kipchoge speaks about his failed assault at Boston Marathon
The legend lost steam in the final few kilometers ending up 6th.
Kipchoge ran at the 2023 Boston Marathon but unfortunately failed to impress after he encountered an issue with his left leg. He settled for sixth place in 2:09:23, suffering his third defeat in the marathon.
His previous defeats were during the 2013 Berlin Marathon where he settled for second place and the 2020 London Marathon where he placed eighth. Despite the losses, Kipchoge surely deserves to be among the top 10 fastest male marathoners in the world.
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