Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon winner Philemon Rono will defend title

By Paul Gains and Canadian Running

A year ago Kenya’s Philemon Rono overcame a world-class field, humid conditions–not to mention a bizarre collision with a traffic barricade just moments before the race–to capture the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in a time of 2:08:27.

It was a remarkable achievement and one that was madly celebrated upon his return to Kaptagat in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley.

“There was great joy,” he recalls of being reunited with his training group back at the Global Sports training camp. “We celebrated together and everybody was happy for me. [2014 winner] Laban Korir was happy that the victory came back to Kaptagat.”

Now Rono has announced he will return to Toronto Waterfront to defend his title in this IAAF Gold Label race on Oct. 22.

“I started training (for the 2017 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon) in June and my training is going along well,” Rono reveals. “I am just focusing on a great achievement. If the weather is good I will run my personal best. I am very excited to come back as I really enjoyed the race.”

Rono has a personal best of 2:07:07 recorded at the 2014 Hamburg Marathon. A year ago he also ran 2:07:20 in Hamburg while finishing second. The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront course record remains 2:07:05, set by Ethiopia’s Deressa Chimsa in 2013. There’s a C$40,000 incentive for beating that time.

During his warm-up last year Rono managed to pull over a barricade that he was using to stretch against, it came down on his forehead and rendered him briefly unconscious. For a few frantic minutes his management consulted by overseas telephone on whether to allow him to run or not. The decision was taken to let him see how he felt during the first couple of kilometres. As we now know, he quickly recovered and was grinning ear to ear following the victory.

Rono on Training with Eliud Kipchoge and pacing Breaking2

Rono is currently back at the Global Sports camp training with some of the world’s greatest runners. His roommate is Brimin Kipruto (2008 Olympic 3,000m Steeplechase champion). But the most famous training partner in the thirty-man group is the reigning Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, who has had a profound impact on Rono and the others.
“He taught me to focus on what you want to do and want to achieve and to be disciplined,” Rono explains. Prior to his Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon debut Kipchoge had told Rono he believed he would win Toronto. “I want to be like him,” Rono says.

Rono’s bond with Kipchoge led to an invite to be a pacer for him at Nike’s Breaking2 race in May. Rono ran in a tight chevron formation with a group of five other athletes, taking turns running loops of a F1 track at 2:50/km. Kipchoge just narrowly missed breaking the two-hour mark.

Related: Finding 26 Seconds: How Nike’s ultra-controlled, gripping and controversial Breaking2 project to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon will change running forever

Life in a Kenyan training camp

“Mostly I stay there in the camp from Tuesday till Saturday full-time. On Sunday and Monday I go home,” Rono says. “I go home after the speed work on Saturday morning. I am married.”

Each athlete has specific duties and shared responsibilities. Rono, for example, is the camp treasurer and collects money from the others when necessary. When one among them has success somewhere in the world there is normally a celebration. This camaraderie has been responsible for numerous champions.

“Training starts at 6 a.m., Eliud is the one who wakes us every day at 5:45 a.m.”

There is a vegetable patch which is tendered by the runners and they also have acquired some cows. And, they all ensure the camp stays clean which means rolling up their sleeves in various odd jobs–cleaning the outhouse included. A full-time cook prepares a balanced diet when the group is in camp.

The group is coached by the illustrious Patrick Sang, who won an Olympic silver and two World Championship silver medals for Kenya back in the 1990’s. His influence on the group is extraordinary from creating a tight relationship within the group to scripting their individual programs.

“Training starts at 6 a.m., Eliud is the one who wakes us every day at 5:45 a.m.,” Rono says. “After training we take breakfast (chai tea and bread), then we relax until lunch and around 4 p.m. we go for a recovery run.”

During the evenings, when there is some time for relaxation the athletes enjoy watching track races, professional wrestling and soccer on television. Rono is a huge fan of Chelsea Football Club. While training for the marathon takes up most of his time he is also a member of the police force and reports for duty during his off season.

In the buildup to Toronto Waterfront he will continue training hard with his teammates. He will test himself with a half-marathon sometime in September and determine where his fitness lies. Earlier this year he ran 2:09:22 in Rotterdam finishing 8th. But there is much more on the line as defending Toronto champion.

Though he is still just 26 he sees himself running for another ten years and has dreams of following Kipchoge’s path.

“My dream is to run a time under 2:04,” Rono declares with confidence. And once his competitive career comes to an end he has other plans.“I hope to be a coach in the future. But first I will focus on my athletics career.