Kelvin Kiptum Cheruiyot was born on 2nd of December 1999. He was born and raised in Elgeyo- Marakwet county.As a young boy, he herded his family's cattle and began following other barefoot runners along the forest trails. Kiptum started training around 2013, when he was 13 years old. At the age of 13, Kiptum participated in his first half marathon the Family Bank Eldoret Half Marathon. In 2018, the teenager took his first victory, winning this race with a time of 62:01, He was self-coached at the time. Kiptum then debuted on the international stage at the Lisbon Half Marathon Portugal, in March 2019, finishing fifth with a new personal best of 59:54. He participated also in six other races that year touring the north and west Europe, and winning the tough Kass Half Marathon back home in November.
In December, 23-year-old Kiptum pulled off an upset when debuting in the classic 42.195 km distance at the Valencia marathon. Running with a negative split, he took the victory with the fourth-fastest time ever of 2:01:53, becoming the third man in history to break two hours and two minutes. His winning time was by far the fastest marathon debut in history, smashing the course record by over a minute. He also beat the runner-up by more than a minute and the 2022 world marathon champion Tamirat Tola, pre-race favourite, among others. In his following race, a debut in a World Marathon Major at the London Marathon in April, Kiptum triumphed decisively in rainy conditions with the second-fastest mark in history at 2:01:25, a course record which was only 16 seconds outside the world record.
Following Kiptum's record-breaking performance in October 2023, his coach provided insight on the athlete's training regimen. Gervais Hakizimana stated that Kiptum logged 250 to 280 km (155–173 mi) per week in the lead-up to that year's London Marathon in April. His routine regularly featured daily morning runs spanning 25–28 km, track or fartlek workouts on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and intense long runs of 30–40 km at close to marathon pace on Thursdays and Sundays. He trained alternately in the high-altitude areas of Chepkorio and nearby Kerio Valley (800–1200 m) before the Chicago Marathon.
With a father who was a former runner and a mother who played volleyball, Kiptum grew up surrounded by sports influences. His upbringing, alongside two brothers and two sisters, fostered his passion for running, inspired by renowned athletes like Eliud Kipchoge and Haile Gebrselassie. Kiptum attended St. Patrick's High School in Iten, training under the guidance of Brother Colm O'Connell, an esteemed Irish coach known for molding Kenyan champions. Kiptum was married to Asenath Rotich and they had two children. He left behind his family and career at the ripe age of 24.
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