Here lies Kelvin Kiptum, collapsed on the ground, moments after crossing the finish line of the 2023 London Marathon. He had just run 2:01:25, a course record and the second-fastest marathon time in history at that moment.

He wasn’t celebrating. He wasn’t smiling. He had given everything.

Just five months later, on the streets of Chicago, Kiptum made history again. With a time of 2:00:35, he didn’t just win. He shattered the world record. In only his third marathon, the 24-year-old from Kenya came just 36 seconds short of breaking the mythical two-hour barrier, a feat once thought impossible.

Then came heartbreak.

In February 2024, Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana died in a car accident in Kenya. The running world was stunned. The future of marathoning, so full of promise, was gone in an instant.

Tomorrow morning, tens of thousands will once again take to the streets of Chicago. The crowds will roar. The elite will chase history. But deep down, we all know we may never again witness the kind of brilliance we saw on that October day in 2023.

Kiptum redefined what was humanly possible.

May his memory inspire every step we take.