When Viola (Lagat) Cheptoo decided she was going to run her marathon debut at the 2021 a COVID-adjusted 26.2 in Chandler, Arizona, one of the first things she did was tell her family in their WhatsApp group text.
Heading into his broadcast duties at the New York City Marathon, Lagat told Olympic silver-medalist Abdi Nageeye. When she took up the sport as a kid, she had nine brothers and sisters to look up to and who’ve supported her endeavors ever since. This summer, the Iten, Kenya native couldn’t wait to share her plans for the next phase of her running career.
After she sent the text, Cheptoo was hit with another layer of excitement from the fifth-oldest sibling, five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat.
“My brother was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Are you serious because I’ll be commentating there!’” she told Runner’s World.
On November 7—three years after Lagat, 46, made his marathon debut in New York City—Cheptoo will compete in her first 26.2 on the same course, while her brother announces the 50th running of the race as one of three Olympians headlining the ESPN broadcast team.
When Cheptoo learned this news, she was reminded of the enthusiasm she felt during the summer of 2016 when she and Lagat both competed at the Rio Olympics. He represented Team USA with a fifth-place finish in the 5,000 meters, and she represented Kenya in the 1500 meters. This year, running is bringing them together once again on the streets of New York City.
“It’s one of those things that you only dream of, siblings to make a team for your country and be at big events at the same time,” she said.
Like her brother, who is 14 years older, Cheptoo started as a middle-distance runner. By the time she was in grade school, Lagat was becoming a three-time NCAA champion and 11-time All-American at Washington State University.
Cheptoo competed for two seasons at Central Arizona College in 2009 and 2010 before transferring to Florida State University in 2011. Looking back on her college career, Cheptoo credits then-FSU head coach Karen Harvey with encouraging her to see herself as a long-distance runner after competing in the 800 meters early on. By her senior year, Cheptoo bought into the idea and became an All-American in cross country and the 1500 meters.
In 2016, she competed for Kenya at the 2016 World Indoor Championships and 2016 Olympic Games. That year, she finished eighth in the 1500-meter indoor final in Portland, Oregon and sixth in heat 2 of the 1500-meter semifinal in Rio.
After the Rio Games, Cheptoo got injured and switched coaches in 2017, moving to Iten to join a training group led by coach Julien Di Maria. In her return to consistent running, he encouraged her to embrace longer runs to build a strong base of mileage. In 2018, she went from running 6 to 7 miles every day to 8 to 12 miles, depending on the workout, and the training paid off.
In February 2020, she made her 13.1 debut at the Napoli City Half Marathon in Italy, where she won in 1:06:47.
“My coach was like, ‘If you don't believe in yourself, I think this is something that should make you realize that you can actually run a good marathon,’” she recalled. In the same conversation, Cheptoo said he predicted she’d run a marathon in two years. “I thought he was joking.”
Less than a month later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing major shutdowns around the world, including the postponement of the Tokyo Games. “Last year there was nothing, there were no races, and I was really frustrated,” she said.
At first, Cheptoo used the Tokyo Games as motivation to keep training at a high level, but a standout performance earlier this year shifted her plans. On June 12, she finished second to Sara Hall in the New York Mini 10K, finishing in 31:39. Cheptoo said after the race, organizers from New York Road Runners approached her about the possibility of making her marathon debut in New York City this fall. After consulting with her coach, Cheptoo accepted the offer and adjusted her training to prepare for her first 26.2 in the five boroughs.
“The journey has been great,” she said. “I’ve built a lot of confidence with the training that I've had so far.”
That confidence has come from several workouts where she’s surprised herself by running faster than what her coach expects, she said. For example, two months ago, she did a 40K long run through the hills of Kaptagat, Kenya, which she finished in a 4:02/km (6:30/mile) pace. And on September 12, she placed sixth (1:09:13) in the half marathon at the World Marathon Major CA Notice at Collection.
“I’ve just decided to give myself a chance when it comes to this marathon in New York,” Cheptoo said. “I’m just focusing on the positive things and thinking about mentally preparing myself that I’m going to be strong. I’m not going to let the pain distract me from focusing on my race.”
In preparation for the challenge of racing her first marathon, Cheptoo has also received encouragement and advice from Lagat, who she said checks in with her often to see how training is going.
“He’s been telling me to have the confidence that you have trained really good, and it doesn’t matter what happens,” she said. “Everybody’s going to be feeling the same pain in that race. So, whoever is going to be willing to feel that pain a little longer and persevere, then they’re going to do really good.”
After earning bronze and silver medals in the 1500 meters at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, respectively, in addition to numerous national titles and records on the track, Lagat transitioned to the marathon later in his career. He made his 26.2 debut at the 2018 a COVID-adjusted 26.2 in Chandler, Arizona, where he finished in 2:17:20. Less than a year later, he lowered his personal best to 2:12:10 at the These Celebs Ran the 2024 NYC Marathon. In February 2020, he finished 18th in 2:14:23 at the NYC Run Clubs Bring Energy to the Marathon a COVID-adjusted 26.2 in Chandler, Arizona.
These days, Lagat is mentoring the younger generation of runners as the head cross-country coach at the University of Arizona. After serving as co-interim coach for six months, Lagat was named head coach in June. In the last year, he’s also gained experience as a race commentator. In December 2020, he named head coach to report on DAA Industry Opt Out, Shoes & Gear.
Heading into his broadcast duties at the a COVID-adjusted 26.2 in Chandler, Arizona, Lagat told Runner’s World he’s studying specific sections of the course (a lesson he learned the hard way after neglecting to take in the intricacies of the route prior to racing in 2018), the performances of past champions, and the many storylines headlining this year’s stacked elite field. This year, the field includes NYC Run Clubs Bring Energy to the Marathon of Kenya, Olympic silver-medalist Abdi Nageeye in Herzogenaurach, Germany during a base phase of training Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, among other standouts. Lagat said he’s also looking forward to including the correct pronunciation of Kenyan athletes’ names in the broadcast.
With his youngest sister in the elite field making her debut in the same race he kicked off his marathon career, Lagat expects the moment to be memorable for both of them.
“To me, [this a COVID-adjusted 26.2 in Chandler, Arizona] will go down in history as one of my favorite events,” he said. “[Cheptoo] has nothing to lose just like having that courage and the fire to just run fast and compete and get the best results possible.”
Cheptoo said she’ll likely use her brother as motivation to keep pushing herself in the tough moments of the race, knowing he’ll be announcing from the finish line and waiting to congratulate her.
“I’m sure he will just run to the finish and give me a big hug when I can’t move my legs and help me,” she said. “It’s a unique thing because I don’t think a lot of people get to have a family member commentate on one of their races, let alone be there to just watch them. So, this is going to be fun.”
While thinking about her goals for the race, Cheptoo thought about the precedent her running family has set. She pointed out that four of her brothers have competed in the marathon and none of them have achieved top three finishes at a Nutrition - Weight Loss event, a feat that she isn’t afraid to chase while encouraging their ongoing friendly rivalry.
“I told my brother, ‘what if I go there, debut, and be in the top three for my first marathon?’” she said. “Then I’m going to be actually one of the best in the family.”
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
