Did sportsmanship cost this Kenyan runner victory at Valencia?

The fastest marathon in the world lived up to its reputation on Sunday as Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei set a new course record of 2:14:00 in Valencia, Spain, outlasting her compatriot and reigning marathon world champion Peres Jepchirchir, who finished 43 seconds later. The two elite marathoners were neck-and-neck for 23 miles, but then an act of sportsmanship from Jepchirchir may have cost her the victory and a payday.

At around the 35-kilometre mark, where most runners hit the infamous wall, Jepchirchir and Jepkosgei reached the second-to-last elite hydration station. Jepkosgei ended up missing her bottle and needed fuel to maintain her pace at what is considered a crucial part of the marathon. Jepchirchir, who had managed to grab her own bottle, decided she would do the sportsmanlike thing, sharing hers with Jepkosgei, instead of using her screw up to make a move and run off.

If Jepchirchir chose not to share, her competitor, Jepkosgei, would’ve had to keep pace and hang on another three kilometres to get her last bottle. Instead, Jepchirchir’s sportsmanship backfired with her compatriot surging ahead in the next kilometre. She ultimately broke the tape in a world-leading mark of 2:14:00, while Jepchirchir finished second in 2:14:43.

Both runners ran under the previous course record of 2:14:58, though Jepkosgei’s victory also came with a significant payday: banking US$107,000 total, including $75,000 for the win and $32,000 for breaking the course record, which was roughly double Jepchirchir’s earnings for finishing second. As long as a marathon can be, races can sometimes be won and lost with split-second decisions like this in the final miles.

Ultimately, missing a hydration bottle is on the athlete, and there’s no obligation or rule stating that anyone else has to share their nutrition, other than because it is the sportsmanlike thing to do. Jepchirchir could have accelerated when Jepkosgei missed her bottle, but she didn’t. It was a decision that might have cost her the win but showcased sportsmanship at the highest level.

In the end, the 2020 Olympic gold medallist left Valencia with a personal best, a second-place finish and a prime example of how character and fair play can matter more than the clock occasionally. In our opinion, Jepchirchir deserves more credit for her sportsmanship move that ultimately helped Jepkosgei keep going when she needed it the most. We wonder if dinner is on Jepkosgei for the next few weeks.