Beatrice Chebet draws inspiration from Ruth Chepng'etich as she eyes eventual full marathon transition

Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet is gearing up for a significant shift in her illustrious running career, revealing plans to transition into marathon racing.

 The 24-year-old Kenyan star, who has dominated track and short-distance road races, is setting her sights on the 42-kilometer challenge following her record-breaking feats in 2024.

Chebet capped off an extraordinary year by smashing her own 5-kilometer road race record in Barcelona, clocking 13 minutes and 54 seconds to become the first woman to break the 14-minute barrier in the event. The feat marked a 19-second improvement on her previous record, which she set exactly a year earlier on the same course.

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Chebet, who won two gold medals at the Paris Olympic games, has been forced to relocate to Iten for training, bemoaning the sorry state of Kericho's facilities which have left athletes from that county at a big disadvantage.

Her 2024 season was defined by unparalleled success, including Double Olympic gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Paris Games, Breaking the 10,000m world record in Eugene in May, securing her second Diamond League title in the 5,000m in September and dominating cross-country with a victory in Elgoibar, adding to her growing list of accolades.

Inspired by Ruth Chepngetich’s groundbreaking 2:09:35 Chicago Marathon victory, Chebet is now laying the groundwork for her eventual marathon debut. Speaking on NTV, she expressed her aspirations.«We want to transition to marathon. I am a long-distance runner, so once I am done with 10,000m, it will fully be about road racing. The marathon time has been reduced to 2:09. Maybe by the time we are actually running it, we will have lowered the bar to 2:06.»

Chebet’s coach and husband, Peter Bii, believes the marathon is a natural fit for her talents. Highlighting her strengths on straight, less technical courses, he noted, «I believe Beatrice is amazing on the track and even better on the road. What she did at the 5-kilometer race in Barcelona was extraordinary.

Chebet has openly condemed the increasing prevalence of cyberbullying attacks on platforms like Facebook, jumping to the defence of Eliud Kipchoge.

“The time she took to prepare for Barcelona was very small, yet you saw her performance. On the track, she has a slight delay and leans to one side, which affects her efficiency. But on the road, where the terrain is straight, she performs better.”

Chebet’s potential transition to marathons could see her add to her already glittering career, potentially redefining women’s distance running. 

With her record-breaking mentality and relentless drive, fans eagerly await her entry into the marathon circuit, where she aims to push the boundaries of human performance even further.