Sammy Malakwen

With his lack of Sleep and a rising temperature on the North Shore, Malakwen nearly dropped out and ran for a Lackluster 32nd place.

Sammy Malakwen (also known as Samuel Malakwen; born 25 May 1978) is a middle- and long-distance runner from Kenya who also trained in Two Harbors, Minnesota.

He has won several major marathons, and has finished in the top 10 of several major road races.

In his early 20s, Malakwen competed in Kenyan cross country runs and European road races.

In April, he won $1,000 by running a 30:51 10K run at Minneapolis' 30th annual Get in Gear.

The raced opened doors for him.

He scorched the 3,500 finishers of the North Dakota Fargo Half Marathon to win in 64:40.

At the Nairobi Cross Country Championships in 2003, he finished fourth on the heels of Ben Kimondiu and just before experienced racer Samuel Kimaiyo.

In Great Britain, Malakwen finished fourth in the Entenmann's Great Manchester 10K Run in England, won by Paul Tergat.

Malakwen's time was 28:59, one second behind Aron Rono.

Then he ran the 2004 British Half Marathon Championships in Ackworth, Britain.

He led the pack won the race in 1:04:49, beating Simon Tonui.

Before leaving England, he finished fifth at the Bath Half Marathon, second at the Great Bristol Half Marathon during a windy day (ahead of Dave Buzza), and third at the Windsor Half Marathon.

Malakwen took time off between 2004 and 2007.

By then, he had moved to Two Harbors, Minnesota, to work on training.

He was invited to Grandma's Marathon, which runs from Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota.

But due to financial complications, he took out a loan with high interest to pay for the journey to a race he felt certain he could win.

But his flights were delayed, and he barely made it to the starting line on the day of the race.

Fellow Kenyan and 2005 winner Wesley Ngetich won the race and took home the prize money.

Malakwen finished with signs of heat stroke.

He was whisked away to the hospital, where his clothes were cut off in haste to get intravenous fluids in his body.

Ngetich visited him in the medical facility and left a gift of a lime-green singlet and a pair of shorts.

When Malakwen was released, the two were roommates for a time before Ngetich left for Kenya again.

Without money to pay back his debt, Malakwen was in dire straights.

He was staying with a host family for several months though, and as he became involved with a Two Harbors Covenant Church, members sought to help him with the financial impasse.

They raised more than $3,000 and he made arrears.

The benevolence from the community would be remembered.

Malakwen would be back almost every year.

Starting in 2007, he lived in Two Harbors seasonally, and called Grandma's one of his favorite races in the United States.

In Kenya though, the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis prompted by post-election political unrest threw parts the nation into chaos and violence.

The fighting kept Malakwen from traveling to his next marathon (in Malaysia).

But even worse, in early 2008, Malakwen's former roommate Ngetich was shot with a poisoned arrow and killed.

Malakwen worked hard to leave for the United States again, arriving back in Minnesota by spring 2008.

There, he started making a name for himself on the competitive road racing circuit.

June 2008 marked his return to Grandma's Marathon, though he was dealing with nagging injuries.

Ngetich's death was widely reported; the race organizers didn't give a "No. 1" bib to any of the runners in honor of the past winner.

And local news outlets marked that Malakwen was wearing Ngetich's running clothes in honor of his deceased friend.

In 2009, he defended his title at the Get in Gear 10K, finishing in front of 4,000 others in 29:17 for $1,200.

Two weeks later, he was back in the Fargodome, the location of the start and finish line for the Fargo Marathon.

He finished 16th.