Joyce Chepkirui

Joyce Chepkirui

Joyce Chepkirui during 2013 London Marathon
Personal information
Born	20 August 1988 (1988-08-20) (age 28)
Medal record Representing  Kenya Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow 10000 m All Africa Games 2011 Maputo 1500 m African Championships 2014 Marrakech 10000 m African Cross Country Championships 2012 Cape Town Senior race

Joyce Chepkirui (born 20 August 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events. She established herself as a half marathon runner, winning races in Granollers, Bogotá and Gothenburg. She set a best of 1:06:19 hours to win the 2014 Prague Half Marathon. She also competes in 10K road races and her personal best of 30:38 minutes makes her fifth fastest woman ever.

Chepkirui began competing in cross country running in 2012 and won the Kenyan and African titles. She also competes on the track over 1500 metres and was the silver medallist at the 2011 All-Africa Games.

Chepkirui grew up in the Buret District of Kenya's Rift Valley Province.

Her first international appearance came at the 2007 African Junior Athletics Championships, where she came fifth in the 1500 metres. She made her debut in the half marathon in Benidorm that November and finished as runner-up. She tried the 3000 metres steeplechase in 2008, but managed only fifth at the national junior championships. She changed her focus to road running competitions the following year. She travelled to Spain and had top five finishes in a number of races, highlighted by a win in Almodóvar del Río with a time of 1:11:47 hours. At the end of the year she placed fourth in the 15K at Kenya's Baringo Half Marathon.