Boston Marathon winner and mother of five Edna Kiplagat explains why she runs
Boston Marathon winner and two-time marathon world champion Edna Kiplagat says running is the only job she’s ever had.
Kiplagat told NPR that she started running road races in Kenya when she was in secondary school and dedicated herself to running full time when she was 16 years old.
Kiplagat crossed the finish line of the 2017 Boston Marathon with an official time of 2 hours, 21 minutes and 52 seconds. It was the first time she’d run the race.
The 37-year-old mother of five told the radio program she’s taking some time off after her win in Boston, spending time with her family at her farm outside Eldoret, Kenya. In addition to her two biological children Wendy and Carlos, who stole the show at the Boston Marathon, Kiplagat and her husband and coach Gilbert Koech are raising the two children of her sister who died of breast cancer, as well as another adopted child.
“It’s not hard,” Kiplagat told NPR of balancing being a mother with training and competing as an elite athlete. “It’s about organizing yourself and making sure that everything is done at the right time.”
Kiplagat, who was born the fourth child of six to peasant farmers, said running has been a blessing. According to NPR, she emphasized that Kenyan runners who train near her home are running because they love the sport.
“We do not run because we are poor,” Kiplagat said. “We run because it’s our passion.”
Check out the full story at NPR.
