Discipline and unwavering positivity have characterized Geoffrey Kamworor’s career as a long-distance runner. The Kenyan athlete may have stopped in 2020 after he was hit by a motorcycle, causing him to fracture his tibia and be forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
Kamworor, 31, came back to beat his own record with 2:04:23, a new personal best, and got second place in the men’s field in the 2023 London Marathon, running 26.219 miles.
His self-confidence and trust in his training pushed him to regain what he loved most: running.
“Running is something that I choose to do in life,” Kamworor said. “It’s everything to me.”
Kamworor’s quiet and humble demeanor belies a decorated running career. He is a two-time TCS New York City Marathon, produced by New York Road Runners, champion, three-time World Cross Country, Half Marathon winner and 2016 Rio Olympic Games finalist.
Kamworor was expected to compete for the 10,000m race in Tokyo after he won the national trials, but in June 2020 a motorcycle hit him from behind as he was going for a typical run of 30 km, nearly 1.5 km away from his home. Although he suffered minor injuries to his head, the worst part was a tibia fracture, which forced him to use crutches for about two months.
After being introduced to cycling for about four months as part of his recovery, he returned to show the fruit of his hard work.
Geoffrey aims to win his third TCS New York City Marathon title, which would make him the third man to achieve it in the history of the Marathon, one of the most inclusive and accessible sporting events in the world.
Competing at such professional levels requires intense and structured preparation. Kamworor trains alongside his mentor Eliud Kipchoge, the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion.
“Running a marathon is very challenging because you encounter good competition. When you run a marathon, everyone is prepared,” he shared. “You have to believe what you’ve done in training.”
Kamworor trains at Global Sports Communication’s camp in Kaptagat, Kenya. The Kenyan settlement has tropical weather and an altitude of 8,200 feet. Thunder and rain appear later in the day, so he starts training as early as five or six o’clock.
“In a week, we have three days of intense training. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we do a long run, and on Saturday, we have a fartlek session,” he said. “In the long run, we go for 40 kilometers.”
During the rest of the week, Kamworor works on recovery sessions or, as he also calls them, ‘easy runs.’ He runs a medium-length 12.42-mile distance on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Before ending the training week, he does a fartlek session on Saturday. It consists of alternating fast jogging sessions and, eventually, slow ones. The variation of those periods can be set for an hour, with three minutes fast and one minute slow.
Geoffrey goes home on Sunday, the only day he can see his family, including his wife and five children.
“[My family] is my motivation. They encourage me; they always push me because they want to see me running, crossing the line and being the number one,” he said. “That makes me always [try] harder.”
Although his time with his children is limited, Kamworor instills values that have helped him succeed in his cherished career.
“Most of the time, I am not with them. I am away in the training camp, so they know what I am doing,” he said. “I always teach them to work hard in school, be disciplined, love what they are doing and always be respectful.”
Kamworor, who also takes care of his cows on his farm while not training, is now focused on his next challenge: the TCS New York City Marathon, an event that he is familiar with. He was crowned champion for the first time in 2015 and again in 2019.
The TCS New York City Marathon in its 53rd edition, produced by New York Road Runners—a running non-profit that organizes 60 adult and youth races annually and is a driving force behind the running community in New York City—brings together people from all backgrounds and communities through the power of running.
“NYC is a special city for running, especially towards the finishing part at Central Park. It makes it very unique,” he shared. “It really motivates you when you are running along Central Park, the finishing stages of the race. You have a cool environment, fresh air and a crowd cherishing you. It’s very nice.”
