ATLANTA – June 30, 2022 – Rhonex Kipruto is returning to Atlanta for two reasons: Vindication and to protect his event record at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. The 10K world record-holder was announced Thursday by Atlanta Track Club, organizers of the Peachtree, as a late addition to the elite field at Monday’s 53rd Running of the race.

The 2019 Peachtree champion isn’t the only Kenyan superstar joining the field: Also making the trip to Running City USA will be Kibiwott Kandie, whose personal best of 26:50 gives him the second-fastest 10K in the world this year and fifth fastest all time. Kandie, the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon champion and 2022 Kenyan 10,000m champion, will be making his Peachtree debut.

Kipruto’s winning time of 27:01 here in 2019 is not only the Peachtree record but also the fastest 10K ever run in the United States. To hold on to his event record – and perhaps be the first man to ever break 27 minutes on American soil – he’ll have to battle five other men with road personal bests under 27:15. In addition to Kandie who defeated Kipruto when they raced on the track earlier this month, that speedy group includes Bravin Kiptoo, who was the runner-up to Kipruto, his brother, in 2019.

 

Kipruto was not planning to race the Peachtree this year. As one of the top-ranked 10,000- meter runners in the world, he was expected to make the Kenyan team for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, later in July. However, he finished a disappointing sixth in the Kenyan Championships and now hopes to redeem himself by making history on the Fourth of July.

 

“Chasing after the course record, weather permitting, is on my mind, especially as I failed to make Team Kenya this past weekend,” said Kipruto. “What comes after the defeat is always more important than the defeat itself.”

 

Kirpruto’s 2019 course record came with a $50,000 bonus for the 50th Running of the Peachtree. This year, the bonus is $53,000 to be split among any men or women in the footrace or Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division who set a record. With two other division record-holders returning – Brigid Kosgei in the women’s footrace and Daniel Romanchuk in the men’s wheelchair division – anyone who sets a record this year may find themselves sharing the purse. There will be plenty of competition. For Kosgei – whose 30:22 course record is also the fastest time ever run in the U.S. – the path to victory has become slightly easier, as Sheila Chepkirui withdrew after finishing second in the 10,000 meters at the Kenyan Championships. However, Irene Cheptai, the 2017 World Cross Country champion who finished 6th in the 10,000m in Tokyo last summer, has been added to the field.

 

There have been several other notable withdrawals from the elite field. Eight-time Peachtree winner Tatyana McFadden, 2017 Peachtree winner Leonard Korir and 2022 Publix Atlanta Half Marathon winner Nicholas Kosimbei are no longer racing on Monday. Full elite fields can be found below.

 

 

First Name

Last Name

Road 10K Personal Best

Country/U.S. Residence

Rhonex

Kipruto

             26:24

KEN

Kibiwott

Kandie

26:50

KEN

Geoffrey

Koech

27:02

KEN

Mathew

Kimeli

27:07

KEN

Bravin

Kipkogei Kiptoo

27:12

KEN

Tsegay

Kidanu

27:14

ETH

Leonard

Barsoton

27:42

KEN

Benard

Ngeno

27:44

KEN

Jemal

Yimer 

27:54

ETH

Hamid

Ben Daoud

28:07

ESP

David

Bett

28:08

KEN

Dominic

Korir

28:08

KEN

Sam

Chelanga

28:11

Colorado Springs, CO

Abdi

Abdirahman

28:11

Tucson, AZ

Biya

Simbassa

28:39

Flagstaff, AZ

Mark

Lomuket

28:46

KEN

Kirubel

Erassa

28:54

Colorado Springs, CO 

Shadrack

Kimining

29:16

KEN

Jason

Weitzel

29:22

Greenville, SC

Robert

Stone

29:36

Short Hills, NJ

Matt

McDonald

29:38

Boston, MA

Matt

Baxter

30:22

NZL

Ian

Butler

30:33

Lakewood, CO

Patrick

Tiernan

DEBUT

AUS

Fabiano

Sulle

DEBUT

TAN

Conner

Mantz

DEBUT

Provo, UT

Stanley

Kebenei

DEBUT

Colorado Springs, CO

Chris

May

DEBUT

Atlanta, GA

Robert

Desisto

DEBUT

Atlanta, GA

 

Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division

 

First Name

Last Name

Road 10K Personal Best

Country/U.S. Residence

Daniel

Romanchuk

18:11

Champaign, IL

Marcel

Hug

18:32

SUI

Josh

Cassidy

18:53

CAN

Aaron

Pike

19:00

Champaign, IL

Alexandre

Dupont

20:04

CAN

Raphael

Botello Jiminez

20:10

ESP

James

Senbeta

21:01

Chicago, IL

Alphonso

Zagarosa

21:04

MEX

Luis

Sanclemente

21:10

COL

Hermin

Garic

21:39

Utica, NY

Valera “Jacob”

Allen

22:00

Kingwood, TX

Colby

Higgins

22:05

Atlanta, GA

Chad

Johnson

22:45

Corydon, IN

Dustin

Stallberg

22:49

Tucson, AZ

Jason

Robinson

23:08

Rome, NY

Brian

Seimann

23:00

Savoy, IL

Peyton

Gunnarson

23:45

Tucson, AZ

Adam

Smeenk

24:00

CAN

Isiah

Christophe

24:00

CAN

Evan

Correll

24:00

Waukee, IA

Phillip

Croft

24:00

Champaign, IL

Jose

Pulido

24:22

Clarksville, GA

Matthew

Potterfield

24:59

Knoxville, TN

Wes

Bergin

25:00

Palm Harbor, FL

Juan

Pablo

25:01

MEX

Brad

Smith

27:05

Atlanta, GA

 

Elite Women’s Race 

First Name

Last Name

 Road 10K Personal Best

Country Represented/U.S. Residence

Rosemary

        Wanjiru

29:50

KEN

Brigid

Kosgei

29:54

KEN

Fancy

Chemutai

30:06

KEN

Irene

Cheptai

30:35

KEN

Senbere

Teferi

30:38

ETH

Dorcas

Tuitoek

30:44

KEN

Viola

Cheptoo

30:55

KEN

Keira

D’Amato

31:03

Oakton, VA

Viola

Chepngeno

31:19

KEN

Mary

Munanu

31:20

KEN

Biruktayit

Eshetu

31:24

ETH

Emily

Durgin

31:49

Flagstaff, AZ

Annie

Frisbie

31:55

Minneapolis, MN

Hawi

Feysa

32:18

ETH

Maggie

Montoya

33:19

Boulder, CO

Edna

Kurgat

33:41

Colorado Springs, CO

Bridget

Lyons Belyeu

34:16

Newnan, GA

Natalia

Sulle

34:19

TAN

Joanna

Stephens

34:34

Atlanta, GA

Emma Grace

Hurley

DEBUT

Roswell, GA

Amber

Zimmerman

DEBUT

Philadelphia, PA

 

Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division 

 

 

 

 

 

First Name

Last Name

Road 10K Personal Best

Country Represented/U.S. Residence

Susannah

Scaroni

21:10

Urbana, IL

Patricia

Eachus

22:48

SUI

Jenna

Fesemyer

24:50

Champaign, IL

Yen

Hoang

24:53

Champaign, IL

Hannah

Babalo

25:07

Newark, NJ

Chelsea

Stein

27:15

Tucson, AZ

Emelia

Perry

33:51

Philadelphia, PA

Ivonne

Reyes

 29:48

MEX

 

 

About Atlanta Track Club                                                

Atlanta Track Club is a nonprofit committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta. Through running and walking, Atlanta Track Club motivates, inspires and engages the community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

With more than 30,000 members, Atlanta Track Club is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the AJC Peachtree Road Race (peachtreeroadrace.org) – the largest 10K running event in the world, the Publix Atlanta Marathon, PNC Atlanta 10 Miler and Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, Atlanta Track Club directs more than 30 events per year. Through the support of its members and volunteers, Atlanta Track Club also maintains a number of community initiatives including organizing and promoting the Kilometer Kids youth running program to metro Atlanta youth, honoring high school cross country and track and field athletes through Atlanta Track Club’s All-Metro Banquets and supporting the Grady Bicycle EMT program. For more information on Atlanta Track Club, visit atlantatrackclub.org.