Loroupe, Tegla (1973-…), was a champion Kenyan runner in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. In 1994, Loroupe became the first African woman to win the New York City Marathon . She won the event again in 1995 and went on to win many other marathons , including the Berlin Marathon in 1999 and the London and Rome marathons in 2000. From 1997 through 1999, she won three consecutive world half-marathon championships. Loroupe set world records in several long-distance races, holding the marathon world record from April 19, 1998, to Sept. 30, 2001. In 1998, she set a new world record of 2 hours, 20 minutes, 47 seconds. In 1999, she broke her own record, with a time of 2:20:43.
Starting in the early 2000’s, Loroupe increasingly dedicated herself to humanitarian and peace activities. In 2003, she founded the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, which succeeded in making peace among warring Kenyan tribes. She has traveled throughout the world working to advance various humanitarian causes. In 2006, she was named a United Nations Ambassador of Sport. She is also a member of the Champions for Peace, a group of athletes seeking to use sport as a means of furthering peace efforts. Loroupe has also been active in improving opportunities for Kenyan women. She has become a role model who has inspired many Kenyan women to enter such new fields as athletics.
Tegla Chepkite Loroupe was born on May 9, 1973, in Kapsoit, Kenya. Multiple marriages are accepted in Kenya, and her father had four wives. Loroupe grew up with 24 brothers and sisters. She spent her childhood supervising her siblings and working in the fields. At first, her father objected to Tegla running in races. But she won an important cross-country race in 1988 and began running full-time in 1989.
