Athletics: Marathoner Jeptoo back with a bang

Prisca Jeptoo getting a taste of mursik after arriving in Eldoret from a race abroad.

She is back in action after an injury that sidelined her for seven months. Immediate past world marathon majors’ (WMM) winner Priscah Jeptoo was the favourite female marathoner in the April’s Virgin London Marathon but she was only seen at the starting line and vanished.

Since then, Jeptoo has ducked the athletics world radar, but emerged last weekend when she won the 15km ZevenHeuvelenLoop race, setting the course record of 46:56.

She was on the starting line-up at the London race to defend her 2013 title, but she faded away at 20km due to a fracture on her right foot.

“I thank God that I managed to win my first race after a long break due to injury,” said Jeptoo, who would be seen praying immediately after crossing the finish line.

The marathoner has set her eyes on next year’s World Championships in Beijing, China, and will start training for the event next year.

“I have resumed very well. This is a morale-booster that will motivate me ahead of the major tests of marathoners,” said Jeptoo.
Jeptoo, who was set to run at the last meeting of WMM series in New York, withdrew in the last minute due to poor form.

The marathoner, who prefers big city races like London and New York, is keen to win gold in Beijing after missing 2012 Olympics and 2011 Worlds in Daegu.

Though she has never won gold medal at Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games, the marathoner has focused on next year’s London marathon title.

“Right now, I have started light training for marathon ahead of half marathons, but my first marathon will be in London because I perform well in that country. At the same time, I want to put my name in the World Championships history and, God allowing, Rio 2016 Olympics to come home with gold,” added Jeptoo.

The 30-year-old Jeptoo started her international competitions in 2008. In 2009, she won Douro Tal Half Marathon before winning 15km Corrida Festas Cidade Do Porto in Portugal then breaking a course record at Porto marathon with 2:30:40.

In 2010, she was second at Padua marathon and improved her time at Turin Marathon with her then personal best of 2:27:02. The following year, she came second at Discovery cross country in Eldoret before winning Goyang Joongang half-marathon with a personal best of 1:10:26.