Helena Kirop

Helena Loshanyang Kirop (born 9 September 1976) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running. Her personal best for the distance is 2:23:37 hours (set in 2011) and she has won the Prague International Marathon and Venice Marathon.

Kirop was the runner-up at the 2006 Amsterdam Marathon and the 2007 Rotterdam Marathon and has had top three finishes at the Berlin Marathon and Dubai Marathon. She represented Kenya in the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics in 2009.

She is the head of the Helena Kirop Foundation, a charitable organisation aiming to provide education to girls in poor families in the Turkana and Pokot communities.

Born in Kapenguria, West Pokot District, she did not compete at a high level of the sport when she was young. In 2004, she and her husband, Peter Lomuria, agreed that they would move to Eldoret so that Kirop could begin training. The couple had two children and were both out of work and she noticed the wealth that marathon running could bring to Kenyan athletes. She began to compete in European road running competitions from 2005 onwards. Managed by Gianni Demadonna, Kirop made her debut over the marathon in 2006 and quickly established herself with a debut win at the Casablanca Marathon. She took third place at the Ottawa Marathon then set a significant personal best of 2:28:51 hours to finish as runner-up behind Rose Cheruiyot at the 2006 Amsterdam Marathon.

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