After recording the fourth-fastest road mile time by a Kenyan woman, 2024 Olympian Susan Ejore will be hoping to use that breakthrough for a strong and consistent 2026 campaign across both track and road.
Over the weekend, Ejore underlined her growing pedigree on the roads by storming to a podium finish at the Kalakaua Merrie Mile in Honolulu, stopping the clock at 4:26.69. That performance elevated her into elite company, ranking her as the fourth-fastest Kenyan woman of all time over the road mile.
The Kenyan record over the distance is held by Mirriam Cherop, who scorched the same Kalakaua course in 2018 to win in 4:22.54.
She is followed by Nelly Chepchirchir, who clocked 4:23.99 during her triumph at this year’s Adidas Adizero Road to Records and Faith Kipyegon, who clocked 4:24.13 during her third-place finish in Riga 2023.
At the Honolulu showdown, Ejore was only bettered by Americans Sinclaire Johnson, who took top honours in 4:21.66 and Nikki Hiltz, who crossed the line second in 4:24.81.
The Honolulu resurgence was all the more significant given Ejore’s disappointing outing in her previous race at the Athlos meeting in New York on November 10 over the track Mile.
On that occasion, she struggled to impose herself in a stacked field, missing out on the podium and settling for a distant fifth place in 4:33.31. Quadruple world 1,500m champion Kipyegon dominated that race, powering to victory in 4:17.78, ahead of Ethiopian star Gudaf Tsegay (4:19.75) and American Nikki Hiltz (4:32.51).
Ejore’s 2025 campaign has been a season of contrasts, with flashes of brilliance interspersed with tough outings.
She kicked off the year indoors, snatching second place over the mile in 4:23.55 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, before finishing fifth at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, where she clocked 4:03.89 over the 1,500m on the short track.
Her outdoor season began in Kingston, Jamaica, at the Grand Slam Track meet, where she placed fifth in the 800m in 1:59.26, before bouncing back to finish second in her favoured 1,500m with a solid 4:05.10.
She then launched into the Diamond League circuit with a runner-up finish in Doha in 4:06.27, before enduring a string of hard-fought races against deep fields — fifth in Rome (3:59.73), eighth in Paris (3:58.65), 11th at the Prefontaine Classic (3:58.05), ninth in Brussels (4:00.18) and sixth in Zurich (3:59.48).
However, the Tokyo World Championships in September proved a step too far, as Ejore failed to advance beyond the semi-finals after finishing seventh in her heat with a time of 4:09.28.
