Interview with Martin Lel

By Stuart Calderwood

Martin Lel is fast. Self-evident as that may seem in the context of this website, it applies uniquely to this razor-thin Kenyan, who, after 26 miles of racing at 4:50 per mile, can produce a sprint finish that is virtually impossible to match. He has won the Flora London Marathon twice (2005 and 2007) and the ING New York City marathon once (2003). In London this year, he rounded the final bend stride-for-stride with Morocco’s Abderrahim Goumri and then put three seconds on him in the last hundred meters. Next, in the BUPA Great North Run Half-Marathon in England, he took on the world record-holder at the distance, Samuel Wanjiru, a Kenyan who trains in Japan. The outcome was predictable only if you’ve seen Lel’s kick: After following Wanjiru’s pace for much of the race, Lel made his trademark move in the final 200 meters. First, Martin Lel, 60:10); second, Samuel Wanjiru, 60:18.

MensRacing.com: Martin, can anyone outkick you??

Martin Lel (quietly, smiling, modest, forced to be honest): No.

MR: It must have been great to beat the half-marathon world record-holder at his own distance.

ML: I had heard about [Samuel] Wanjiru. If he is the world record holder, I like the challenge of racing him. With one mile to go, I was happy—I knew I would win.

MR: So, you like to race against the best runners?

ML: Of course. When you have other strong runners, you are happy; you have a challenge.

MR: You must be feeling happy now, with this field for Sunday. You’re one of three men here who have won the race before, and then there’s Baldini, the gold medalist, and Gomes, who won last year…

ML: Yes. Without the other best runners, I am not a champion.

MR: When you see that Haile Gebrselassie ran 2:04:26 in Berlin, does it make you want to try for the world record yourself?

ML: That guy, Haile, he is nice; he is my friend. He is humble. When I see that he has run the world record, I am happy. And also, I like what happened, because he has been beaten twice by Martin Lel!

MensRacing Associate Toby Tanser author of Train Hard, Win Easy, the Kenyan Way: Paul Tergat said that he’d like to get a training group together in Ngong ([Kenya]. Would you want to be part of that group?

ML: I think it would be interesting. I would be happy to be there.

MR: Which would be more important to you: a world record, or an Olympic gold medal?

ML: They are equal. They are both great titles. I would be very proud to win the Olympic marathon for Kenya, because we have never won that race.

Toby Tanser: You are very good friends with [World Marathon Majors champion] Robert Cheruiyot, aren’t you?

ML: Yes. He is my best friend.

MR: How did you meet? Was it through running?

ML: No, it was at the Chemuswa School when we were young. I saw a bicycle at the school, and I thought it was the school’s bicycle. I had never ridden a bicycle, so I thought, “I will try.” I rode away—I rode only 5K. When I brought it back, a boy was there with a stick! He was really annoyed. He said, “That is my bicycle!” He ran after me and hit me three times on my back with the stick! I told him I didn’t know that it was his bicycle! I said, “Here, here, I am not stealing it! I am a student! I just wanted to ride a bicycle!” Finally he stopped. Then I was nice. We became friends. That was Robert. He’s a nice guy.

MR [finally controlling laughter after a minute or so]: Did you start to run together after that?

ML: No. He had to leave the school. He had no money. [For details of Cheruiyot’s incredible story from that point on, click here.]

MR: So, here are these two boys in a little school, one of them chases the other with a stick for borrowing his bike by mistake—it’s weird enough that they’d become best friends, but what are the odds that ten years later they’d be two of maybe the five best marathoners in the world?

Toby Tanser: Only in Kenya.

Interview conducted November 1, 2007, and posted November 2, 2007.