Kelvin Kiptum's father shares wise council that propelled his son to marathon dominance at 23

Samson Cheruiyot, the father of newly-crowned world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum, has hailed his son for listening to his wise council.

The pastor from Chepsamo village in Elgeyo Marakwet County termed Kiptum as a very obedient child and pegged his words of advice as a cornerstone to the athlete's success.

“My son always respected what I told him and since I was born, I have never tasted alcohol and I followed my parents’ wise council.

"My parents, even though they are not here, taught me how to live an upright life and I made sure I passed that down to my son. I thank God for that.

"My parents took care of me and that’s why I’m thriving like this and I want that for my son too. I also want to thank my son’s manager, Bob Verbeek, and my son,” Kiptum said.

Cheruiyot noted that Verbeek has been like a father to Kiptum and he was lost for words as he explained how he had impacted their lives.

He urged Kiptum to maintain his respect for the Golazo CEO whom he termed as the person that ‘feeds him.’

“We believe that when you change the plate that feeds you, it’s not a good thing. You need to stick to the people who have taught you the wise council and I thank my son for not changing his management,” he explained.

Kiptum’s father was speaking during a homecoming ceremony for his son hosted at the Weston Hotel.

Meanwhile, Kiptum has enjoyed a glamorous season that saw him run good times in the two marathons he competed in this season. The 23-year-old started off with the London Marathon where he won in the second-fastest time in the world.

At the Chicago Marathon, he stunned the masses after completely destroying Eliud Kipchoge’s world record. Kiptum clocked 2:00:35 to shatter Kipchoge’s world record time of 2:01:09 to win the race.