Geoffrey Mutai
Kenyan long distance runner
Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai (born 7 October 1981) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. On 18 April 2011 at the Boston Marathon, Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever at the time in a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds (4:41 per mile pace / 2:54 per kilometer pace), though the time was not recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations as a world record since the Boston course does not meet the criteria to be eligible for the mark.
His other significant victories include the Monaco Marathon. He is also a strong half marathon runner, with wins at the Valencia Half Marathon and RAK Half Marathon, and a best of 58 minutes 58 seconds, to his name. He also won the 2011 New York City Marathon with a time of 2 hours 5 minutes and 6 seconds (4:46 per mile pace), breaking the course record set by Tesfaye Jifar of Ethiopia in 2001, and repeated his performance at the 2013 New York City Marathon with a time of 2 hours 8 minutes and 24 seconds.
Career
Mutai started running in 1994 while at Tuiyotich Primary School in Nakuru. He graduated from primary school in 1998, but financial constraints prevented him from joining a secondary school. Instead, he worked in a farm, but continued his running career. He was selected to represent Kenya at the 2002 World Junior Championships, but could not make the trip as he had no birth certificate. Soon after he was injured and almost quit running.
The public source identifies “Geoffrey Mutai” as kenyan long distance runner. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Geoffrey, Mutai and Kenyan.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Geoffrey Mutai”, the useful work is to connect “kenyan long distance runner” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q513288. VIAF identifies the subject as 265145542614296640398. The Library of Congress control number is no2016011789. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1981, 2011, 2001 and 2013.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Geoffrey Mutai”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Geoffrey Mutai primary sources, Geoffrey Mutai archive and Geoffrey research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Geoffrey Mutai”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Geoffrey Mutai” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.