Catherine Ndereba
Encyclopedia
Wincatherine Nyambura Ndereba (born July 21, 1972) is a Kenya
n marathon runner. She has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals in the Olympics in 2004 and 2008. She is also a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon
. Ndereba broke the women's marathon world record in 2001, running 2:18:47 at the Chicago Marathon.
In 2008, Ndereba was described by a Chicago Tribune
sportswriter as the greatest women's marathoner of all time.
in Nyeri District
, and went to Ngorano Secondary School where she pursued her running career. In 1994, she was recruited into its athletics program by the Kenya Prisons Service. Ndereba was awarded the 2004 and 2005 Kenyan Sportswoman of the Year
awards. She was awarded the Order of the Golden Warrior by president Mwai Kibaki
in 2005.
Ndereba finished seventh at the 2009 London Marathon
, equalling Katrin Dorre
's record of 21 sub-2:30 hours marathons. She placed third at the Yokohama Marathon later that year, finishing the course in a time of 2:29:13 hours. She did not manage to finish another marathon race until October 2011, when she crossed the line in 2:30:14 hours for third at the Beijing Marathon
.
Ndereba, whose nickname is 'Catherine the Great', currently lives in Nairobi
with her husband Anthony Maina and daughter Jane. Her brother Samuel and sister Anastasia are also marathon runners.
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n marathon runner. She has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals in the Olympics in 2004 and 2008. She is also a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
. Ndereba broke the women's marathon world record in 2001, running 2:18:47 at the Chicago Marathon.
In 2008, Ndereba was described by a Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
sportswriter as the greatest women's marathoner of all time.
Career
Ndereba is from GatungangaGatunganga
Gatunganga is a settlement in Kenya's Central Province....
in Nyeri District
Nyeri District
Nyeri District is a district in the Central Province of Kenya. Its headquarters is in Nyeri town. It has a population of 661,156 and an area of 3,356 km².The district is located on the southwest flank of Mount Kenya...
, and went to Ngorano Secondary School where she pursued her running career. In 1994, she was recruited into its athletics program by the Kenya Prisons Service. Ndereba was awarded the 2004 and 2005 Kenyan Sportswoman of the Year
Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year
Kenyan Sport Personality of the Year Awards, also known as SOYA Awards, are annual national awards given for sports personalities and organisations in Kenya. The awards were initiated in 2004 by Paul Tergat. The awards for each year are held at the beginning of the next year Kenyan Sport...
awards. She was awarded the Order of the Golden Warrior by president Mwai Kibaki
Mwai Kibaki
Mwai Kibaki is the current and third President of the republic of Kenya.Kibaki was previously Vice President of Kenya for ten years from 1978–1988 and also held cabinet ministerial positions, including a widely acclaimed stint as Minister for Finance , Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for...
in 2005.
Ndereba finished seventh at the 2009 London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
, equalling Katrin Dorre
Katrin Dörre
Katrin Dörre-Heinig is a former athlete from Germany, who competed mainly in the marathon...
's record of 21 sub-2:30 hours marathons. She placed third at the Yokohama Marathon later that year, finishing the course in a time of 2:29:13 hours. She did not manage to finish another marathon race until October 2011, when she crossed the line in 2:30:14 hours for third at the Beijing Marathon
Beijing Marathon
The Beijing International Marathon is an annual marathon race of 42.195 km held in October in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The race was first held in 1981 and has been held every year since. The race begins at Tiananmen Square and finishes at the National Olympic Sports Centre stadium...
.
Ndereba, whose nickname is 'Catherine the Great', currently lives in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
with her husband Anthony Maina and daughter Jane. Her brother Samuel and sister Anastasia are also marathon runners.
Achievements
- 1995
- Represented KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
internationally for the first time at a women's relay race in SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, KoreaKoreaKorea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
- Represented Kenya
- 1996
- Ranked No. 2 in USA Track and FieldUSA Track and FieldUSA Track & Field is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking...
's World Road Running Rankings; named Road Runner of the Year by Runner's WorldRunner's WorldRunner's World is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
magazine and Road Racer of the Year by Running Times.
- Ranked No. 2 in USA Track and Field
- 1997
- Did not run
- Gave birth to daughter, Jane.
- 1998
- Named Road Runner of the Year by Runner's World and Road Racer of the Year by Running Times.
- Won individual bronze and team gold at World Half-Marathon Championships in Palermo, Italy.
- Ran world's fastest times at 5K (15:09), 15K (48:52), 12K (38:37) and 10 miles (53:07).
- Made marathon debut, finishing sixth at Boston in 2:28:27.
- 2000
- Boston MarathonBoston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
winner - Chicago MarathonChicago MarathonThe Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
winner - AIMS World Athlete of the Year award by Association of International Marathons and Distance RacesAssociation of International Marathons and Distance RacesThe Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, also known as AIMS, is an association of long-distance running races. Originally founded in 1982 at a meeting in London of marathon race directors, its membership was extended in 1986 to include all road races...
- Boston Marathon
- 2001
- City-Pier-City LoopCity-Pier-City LoopThe CPC Loop Den Haag is an annual half marathon competition held in the Hague, Netherlands, every mid-March....
(half marathon) winner. - Boston MarathonBoston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
winner - Chicago MarathonChicago MarathonThe Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
winner (World Record)
- City-Pier-City Loop
- 2002
- Finished second at Boston MarathonBoston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
. Also second at Chicago MarathonChicago MarathonThe Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
.
- Finished second at Boston Marathon
- 2003
- World Championships gold medalist
- Sapporo half-marathon winner.
- Second at New York City MarathonNew York City MarathonThe New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
and London MarathonLondon MarathonThe London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
.
- 2004
- 2004 Summer Olympics, AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
- silver medalist in Marathon. - Boston MarathonBoston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
winner
- 2004 Summer Olympics, Athens
- 2005
- Boston MarathonBoston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
winner (the first four-time woman's winner) - World Championships silver medalist
- Boston Marathon
- 2006
- Osaka International Ladies Marathon winner
- Bogota Half MarathonBogota Half MarathonThe Bogotá International Half Marathon is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance which takes place in Bogotá, Colombia in late July or early August. Established in 2000, it holds IAAF Gold Label Road Race status, making it the first and thus far only South American...
winner
- 2007
- World Championships gold medalist
- 2008
- 2008 Summer Olympics, BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
- silver medalist in Marathon.
- 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing
External links
- "Catherine Ndereba", n°38 on TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch" - "Catherine Ndereba" Documentary Project