Tegla Loroupe

Tegla Loroupe is a Kenyan long-distance track and road runner. She was the first African woman to win the New York City Marathon and has held many world records. She now devotes much of her time to humanitarian and peace activities, through her Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation. She was born in Kutomwony in the West Pokot District of Keyna. From an early age, Loroupe was given a nickname – Chametia. It means “the one who never gets annoyed.” – reflecting her cheerful personality. At the age of seven, she started to go to school – which involved a barefoot run of ten kilometres every morning. It was at school that her first talent for running was spotted. At one point, her father banned her from running saying it was not ladylike, but Loroupe persisted and continued her running. Initially, the Kenyan athletics federation were not too impressed with Loroupe – she was considered too frail. However, after winning a prestigious cross country race in 1988, this changed. She was nominated for the junior world championships, and at her first attempt (1989) she finished 28th. This enabled her to focus on running full time. In 1994, Loroupe ran her first major marathon in New York and won. She was the first African woman to win the New York Marathon. As a consequence, she became an important sporting role model. Between 1997 and 1999, she won three consecutive world half marathon Championships. . In 1999, she broke her own record, setting a time of 2:20:43 in the Berlin marathon. In 2003, Loroupe found the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation and has been an active advocate for peace. She has been successful in bringing members of warring tribes together. In 2006, she founded the 10km Peace Race, which included 2,000 warriors from six different tribes. In 2006, she was named a United Nations Ambassador of Sport.