Kenya’s three-time London marathon and four-time New York marathon winner Mary Keitany has announced her retirement, after a recurring hip injury stopped her from competing over the last two years.

“After a lot of soul-searching, we decided with my manager (Italian Gianni Demadonna) that it was better for me to retire. I picked up a hip injury in my last London marathon race in 2019, which has restricted my training and I’ve not been able to compete effectively since then,” she said.”

“I believe I have had a success of my career and this is the best decision I have made.”

Sterling Career

Keitany had indeed had a successful career.

In 2011, she made history after winning the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon with a world record time of 1:05:50 hours. This marked the first time a woman had run the distance in under 1:06 hours on a non-aided course.

She also set other records along the way, including a world record of 1:02:36 for 20 kilometres and world best times for 8 kilometres and 10 miles

She is also the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01, becoming the fourth fastest woman ever over the marathon distance.

Her former half marathon best of 1:05:50 (2011) lived three years as the women’s world record. She also has held the world record at 10 miles (50:05 minutes), 20 kilometres (1:02:36), and 25 kilometres (1:19:53), all of which were set in road races.

Mary Keitany is married to runner Charles Koech and they have two children.