Catherine Ndereba

Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a retired Kenyan marathon runner.

In 1994, she was recruited into its athletics program by the Kenya Prisons Service.

It was at the latter in 2001 that she broke the women's marathon world record with a time of 2:18:47.

Between 2003 and 2008, she finished in the top two in five successive global championship marathons.

Ndereba has twice won the marathon at the World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals at the Summer Olympic Games in 2004 and 2008, becoming Kenya's first female multi-medalist.

She is also a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon and a two-time winner of the Chicago Marathon.

Ndereba was awarded the 2004 and 2005 Kenyan Sportswoman of the Year awards.

She was awarded the Order of the Golden Warrior by President Mwai Kibaki in 2005.

In 2008, Ndereba was described by Chicago Tribune sportswriter Philip Hersh as the greatest women's marathoner of all time.

Catherine Ndereba comes from Gatunganga in Nyeri District, and went to Ngorano Secondary School where she pursued her running career.

Ndereba finished seventh at the 2009 London Marathon, equalling Katrin Dorre's record of 21 sub-2:30 hours marathons.

She placed third at the Yokohama Women's Marathon later that year, finishing the course in a time of 2:29:13 hours.

She did not finish another marathon race until October 2011, when she crossed the line in 2:30:14 hours for third at the Beijing Marathon.

Ndereba, whose nickname is "Catherine the Great", lives in Nairobi with her husband Anthony Maina and daughter Jane.

Her brother Samuel and sister Anastasia are also marathon runners.