**Martin Kiptolo Lel** is a Kenyan distance runner who defined the middle of the 2000s on the World Marathon Majors circuit. Born October 29, 1978 and training out of Kenya's Rift Valley, Lel won the London Marathon three times (2005, 2007, 2008) and the New York City Marathon twice (2003 and 2007), a stretch of form few marathoners have matched.
His 2008 London win remains his signature performance. He ran 2:05:15 to break the course record and outkick a field that included the strongest marathoners of the era. That time stood as his lifetime personal best. Later that summer he represented Kenya at the Beijing Olympics and finished fifth in the marathon.
Lel was coached for much of his prime by Italian Claudio Berardelli, who also worked with other top Kenyan marathoners during the period. Outside the majors he won the Great North Run half marathon in 2007 and 2009, confirming his range at distances below 26.2.
His four wins across London and New York make him one of only a handful of athletes to win multiple editions of two different World Marathon Majors in the modern era.