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Clocking 2 hours 24 minutes 20 seconds, Kipruto beat a strong field to take the full marathon title in his first appearance at VM Hanoi Midnight Powered by Puma on Nov. 30. His rivals included Ethiopian runner Takele Kure, Vietnam’s Huynh Anh Khoi, who has broken his personal record four times in the last two months, and rising Gia Lai runner Trinh Minh Tam.

The victory earned the 1994-born athlete VND15 million ($569) in cash and in-kind rewards worth a total of VND30 million ($1,137).

Kipruto said the prize is especially meaningful for his family in rural Kenya.

“I will discuss with my wife about using this money to raise more chickens. When the chickens lay eggs, I can sell them to cover daily expenses. That is how I maintain my life and continue pursuing running,” he said.

Born into a farming family, Kipruto currently grows corn, wheat, and potatoes, and raises cows and chickens to support his two daughters’ education. He said life in Kenya remains challenging, even for professional athletes.

“There are people who cannot afford rent, lack food and even do not have shoes to run,” he said.

According to Kipruto, domestic race opportunities are limited, and only a few athletes get the chance to compete abroad. Therefore, he wants to expand livestock farming to secure a more stable income for his family. Income from races in Vietnam is often enough to cover many months of living expenses in Kenya, where GDP per capita is about $2,000 a year.

Performance and Strategy

Before Kipruto, many Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes had traveled to Vietnam to compete for prize money at local marathons. The trend has become more visible since early 2023, as Vietnam’s running movement grew and began drawing regional attention. African runners come to Vietnam through different channels; while Kipruto was invited by a sports brand, his compatriot Edwin Kiptoo funded his own trips and rose to prominence last year after winning at least seven races and earning hundreds of millions of dong in prize money.

Ezekiel Kipruto Kembo strides forward on the course of Read Marathon Hanoi Midnight Powered by Puma, Nov. 30, 2025. Photo courtesy of Read Marathon

On the race course on Nov. 30, Kipruto quickly broke away with Takele Kure, opening a gap with Vietnamese contenders Anh Khoi and Dan Quyet. At kilometer 18, he surged ahead and ran alone to the finish line, setting his personal best time in Vietnam.

“The night course was open and the weather pleasant, helping me perform better than in previous races,” he said.

Kipruto’s running form is quite distinctive: his left leg swings noticeably higher than his right, and the movements between the two are different, from arm thrusts to hip thrusts. When asked about his seemingly unusual gait, Kipruto simply replied: “Really? I do not think my running form is unusual at all.”

Before VM Hanoi Midnight Powered by Puma, Kipruto competed at the Standard Chartered Hanoi Marathon, finishing sixth in the 42km race in 2 hours 36 minutes 25 seconds, behind both Khoi and Quyet. Internationally, he has run several European marathons, including Porto Marathon in Portugal, where he recorded a personal best of 2 hours 13 minutes.

After Hanoi, he plans to head to Ho Chi Minh City to seek opportunities at other races.

Hai Long