Elijah Lagat ✓ Verified

Elijah Kiptarbei Lagat is a Kenyan former marathon runner who represented Chesumei Constituency in the National Assembly during the 11th Parliament on a United Republican Party ticket. Before his single term in politics, he built an international athletics reputation, most notably winning the 2000 Boston Marathon in the closest finish in the race's history, edging out Ethiopia's Gezahegne Abera and fellow Kenyan Moses Tanui after all three clocked around 2 hours 9 minutes. That victory extended Kenya's hold on the men's Boston Marathon title to a tenth consecutive year, a streak that still stands as a record. Lagat's fame as an athlete preceded and shaped his entry into elective office representing his home constituency of Chesumei.