By Paul Gains
Fanny Kiprotich has won every marathon he has ever raced. The fact that he has only run two of them, and has a taste for winning, is an indication of the great potential this young Kenyan possesses.
Just 24 years-old, the native of Mount Elgon in the Great Rift Valley aims to make it three-for-three when he competes at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, a World Athletics Elite Label race, on October 18.
“My target for now is under 2:06 if the weather will be good and if the course is good,” says Kiprotich during a WhatsApp video call from coach Julian Alonso’s house in Iten. “My target is to run under 2:06!”
Kiprotich made his debut at the 2025 Tallinn (Estonia) Marathon winning in a modest time of 2:11:21. That was in September. Then in April of this year he dominated the Vienna Marathon lowering his personal best time to a remarkable 2:06:53. His margin of victory – seventy-seven seconds over Eritrea’s Oqbe Ruesom – was such that he was blowing kisses to the crowd as he made his way to the finish. It should be noted that Ruesom has run under 2:06 twice.
“I started pushing from 27km,” Kiprotich remembers of Vienna, “but I saw it was too far (to the finish) so I came back again, but I went again at 30km. I tried to push alone until 32km then I left him and was alone.
“It was my tactic because during my training we prepared for it. Before I went to Vienna I tried to run 40k in Iten. That was my preparation in training.”
Alonso, an Argentinian physiotherapist who moved to Iten with his wife, is employed by Volare Management a Dutch based sports management agency with a large group of world-class marathoners. Indeed, Leonard Langat, the 2025 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon winner is represented by the outfit although he lives in Kerengit and not Iten. Volare’s head coach is Sammy Bii and Alonso plays a supportive role.
“My target was not to rush to the marathon,” Kiprotich says. “But I was at my home in Mount Elgon and when I came to Iten I found a good training group – that is the Volare Management group. So I got a good group.
“As I got strong I started training with the ladies and then after a while I ran with the men. When I felt confident in long runs, I finished the long runs. It was a good decision to run the marathon.”
Growing up in the Mount Elgon region he was exposed to many runners as a child. Both his parents competed in the 5,000m and 10,000m at Kenyan national championships. And amongst his neighbours were several international runners he would see training on the roads nearby.
“In my area there are (Kenyan born) athletes who run for Qatar,” he reveals. “I think you might know the name Felix Kibore. He is my neighbour.
“I started running when I was young, when I was still in school. I remember when I was young we liked watching (Eliud) Kipchoge. I wanted to be like him.”
Kibore finished 6th in the 2008 World Cross Country Championships and was an Olympic 5,000m finalist for Qatar the same year.
Running in Kenyan culture is not purely for enjoyment. It can be a means to a better future. Hence the temptation for switching citizenship. Kiprotich has used the earnings from his first two marathons to build a home for his parents near Mount Elgon, an extinct volcano located on the border between Kenya and Uganda. They have a plot of land on which they farm. It’s four hours from Iten.
“The first races I ran Tallinn and Vienna, my first thing afterwards, I bought land and now I am building a house for my parents. I am almost finished. So that is my first target,” he says. “Now I need to start to invest in myself because I have already started the first part of the house for my parents. So after Toronto my future is to maybe buy land and then to construct houses.”
“My place in Iten is good. Everything is good, I have a girlfriend – sometimes I call her my wife – she is also an athlete. Cynthia is her name.”
Between training sessions like many Kenyan runners he enjoys listening to Gospel and Kalenjin music with Cynthia and also watching English Premier League football. He supports Manchester United.
It is early in the buildup for Toronto Waterfront Marathon and if he is going to perform well he must adhere to the training program laid out for him by Sammy Bii. And it would help if he were to study the Toronto Waterfront course. Alonso reports that the student is keen.
“He arrived early for this interview,” Alonso reveals, “And we were looking on the internet at the profile of the race so he can start planning. Before this meeting he didn’t have too much information and now we are going to focus. He will do specific preparation for Toronto.“
Kiprotich appears full of confidence in his ability and why not? He has astonished many with his sudden rise. And he seems keen to race Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
“It is my first time coming to North America,” he says “My target is to run some World Marathon Major races then the Olympics or World Championships.”
The TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon is a World Athletics Elite Label race and as the field is finalized it will surely bring the best out of him. Whether that sees him maintain an unbeaten streak over his new distance remains to be seen.
