World Half icons – Tegla Loroupe

Tegla Loroupe was a road-running pioneer in the mid to late Nineties. The diminutive former world marathon record-holder takes a trip down memory lane to reminisce about her hat-trick of world half marathon titles from 1997-1999.

Standing at just 1.56m and weighing a mere 40kg, Tegla Loroupe may be tiny in stature but the Kenyan great will forever be remembered as a giant in distance running.

Growing up one of 24 siblings, life as a child was far from easy for Loroupe but running provided a welcome outlet.

After winning a series of races barefoot, she caught the attention of Kenyan selectors and she was called up to represent her country in the U20 race at the 1989 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Stavanger, where she placed 28th …