Millions Kelvin Kiptum Will Bag After Breaking Kipchoge's World Record
Kiptum will take home millions of shillings from the Chicago Marathon organisers, sponsors, and the Kenyan Government.
Marvin Chege 
On Sunday, October 8, Kenyan marathoner Kelvin Kiptum won the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:00:35, causing an upset by breaking the world record set by legendary marathoner Eliud Kipchoge.
Kiptum finished at a time of 2:00:35, which was faster than Kipchoge's 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
As a result, Kiptum will take home millions of shillings from the Chicago Marathon organisers, sponsors, and the Kenyan Government.
Kelvin Kiptum during the 2023 London Marathon. /TCS LONDON MARATHON
From the Chicago Marathon, he will take home a bonus of $50,000 (Ksh7.4 million) from Nike, the official event sponsor, for setting a new record, which is offered uniformly across all competitive divisions by the Chicago Marathon.
In addition to the bonus, Kiptum will also receive $100,000 (Ksh14.9 million) for winning the race.
Overall, Kiptum's total earnings for winning the Chicago Marathon and setting a new world record will be $150,000 (Ksh22.3 million).
Furthermore, Kiptum's world record feat also sees him qualify to receive the Ksh5 million reward President William Ruto promised to every athlete who breaks a record.
"For every world record broken by a Kenyan, the government of Kenya is going to award Ksh5 million," stated Ruto on Tuesday, June 13 following exploits by Faith Kipyegon who had set two world records in a week: breaking the 1,500M in Florence, Italy, and 5,000M in Paris France.
The total amount Kiptum will bag from the race will be Ksh27.3 million, which is a significant payday for Kiptum who only ran his third marathon at the age of 23.
He will also be accorded special privileges like being granted a diplomatic passport, honours, and recognition from the Kenyan government.
Kiptum had not originally targeted the world record, but he knew it was within reach in the final kilometres of the race.
"I feel so happy. I wasn't prepared," he said at the finish line. "A world record was not in my mind today."
He has run three career marathons, all in the last 10 months, and posted three of the six fastest times in history: 2:01:53 in Valencia, Spain, last December, followed by 2:01:25 in London in April.
Kiptum's victory and world record at the Chicago Marathon mark a historic achievement in the sport of marathon running, bringing the possibility of a sub-two-hour marathon under standard race conditions one step closer.
Kipchoge notably made history by becoming the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon during the Ineos 1:59 challenge on October 12, 2019, where he completed the challenge with an official time of 1:59:40.2, an average speed of 5.88 meters per second which translates to 21.2 km/h.
The Ineos Challenge was not an open competition, but rather an event designed with the specific goal of breaking the two-hour mark.
Despite not being an official world record, Kipchoge's achievement was still a historic moment and inspired many people around the world.
