Catherine Ndereba

Life and work

Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a retired Kenyan marathon runner. Between 2003 and 2008, she finished in the top two in five successive global championship marathons. Ndereba has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008, becoming Kenya's first female multi-medalist. She is also a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon and a two-time winner of the Chicago Marathon. It was at the latter in 2001 that she broke the women's marathon world record with a time of 2:18:47.

Ndereba comes from Gatunganga 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 Women's Marathon later that year, finishing the course in a time of 2:29:13 hours. She did not finish another marathon race until October 2011, when she crossed the line in 2:30:14 hours for third at the Beijing Marathon.

Ndereba decided to retire quietly in 2012. She had problems with the ligaments in her right ankle and she was told that it could be improved by surgery but she wanted to recover naturally. She later made the analogy of a car that needs too many repairs. She retired as the "greatest womens marathoner".

Ndereba, whose nickname is "Catherine the Great", lives in Nairobi with her husband Anthony Maina and daughter Jane. Her brother Samuel and sister Anastasia are also marathon runners.

Ranked No. 2 in USA Track and Field's World Road Running Rankings; named Road Runner of the Year by Runner's World magazine and Road Racer of the Year by Running Times

Ran the world's fastest times for the year at 5 kilometres (15:09), 12 kilometres (38:37), 15 kilometres (48:52), and 10 miles (53:07).

Ndereba's championship record is striking for its continuity. Winning a city marathon and racing for a national team at a global championship involve related physical demands but different competitive settings. Her world titles and Olympic medals demonstrate an ability to remain competitive across both. The silver medals in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 also place her among athletes who performed at the front of successive Olympic races, rather than being remembered for a single exceptional season. Her career helped establish the women's marathon as a central part of Kenya's international sporting identity.

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