The 2025 New York Marathon champion, Benson Kipruto, hopes to claim three more Abbott Marathon Majors titles to become the first man to conquer all seven Major races.
So far, Kipruto has bagged four of the seven Abbott Marathon crowns in Boston, Chicago, Tokyo and New York. His only missing crowns include Berlin, London and Sydney.
On November 2, Kipruto cruised to the New York title, stopping the clock in 2:08:09 after a dramatic photo finish with Alexander Munyao, who was second with an identical time.
Compatriot Albert Korir rounded off the podium, clocking 2:08:57. After his fourth Majors triumph in New York, Kipruto, while speaking to the New York Road Runners, said his dream is now to complete the entire set.
"That is my dream now. To win them all and have the seven-star medal," Kipruto said. Kipruto first reigned supreme in the Abbott Majors in 2021 when he won Boston, clocking 2:09:51 ahead of Ethiopian duo Lemi Berhanu (2:10:37) and Jemal Yimer (2:10:38). The following year, he won the Chicago title in 2:04:24 with Ethiopia's Seifu Abdiwak (2:04:49) and John Korir (2:05:01) completing the podium.
In 2024, he added the Tokyo title to his resume, finishing in 2:02:16, with Timothy Kiplagat (2:02:55) and Vincent Kipkemoi (2:04:18) in second and third place, respectively. Reflecting on his most recent triumph, Kipruto stated that patience played to his advantage in New York.
"Normally, in a race on a hard course without pacers, one has to be patient before deciding to make a move, and that's what I did, and it paid off."
With the winning margin narrow by microseconds, Kipruto stated that he was determined to secure victory. "I had no doubt I had won because I had prepared well for the last kick. Mutiso was closing because he was good on the hills."
"I felt him behind me, and I kept looking behind, but I could not let the win go."
Kipruto revealed that running with two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge in New York was instrumental, as the 41-year-old has always pushed him in previous races.
"I love running with Eliud. He gives me morale because he is my mentor. If you look at the races I have run with him, I always win or finish on the podium," Kipruto said.
"I was with him in Paris, and I finished third. We raced in Tokyo (2024), and I won, breaking his course record. So it's always amazing running with him," he added.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Kipruto won bronze for Kenya in the men's marathon in 2:07:00 behind Ethiopian Tamirat Tola (2:06:26) and Belgium's Bashir Abdi (2:06:47).
Kipchoge recorded a DNF in that race. During his triumph at the 2024 Tokyo race, Kipruto set the current course record (2:02:16), bettering the previous mark of 2:02:40, set by Kipchoge in 2022. In that race, Kipchoge clocked 2:06:50 to finish 10th.
