Elkanah Kibet, a world class elite marathoner who was born in Kenya and currently lives in Colorado Springs, U.S.A., enjoys a meal at a vegetarian restaurant in Queens, N.Y., called Annam Brahma. He is a financial managemnet technician in the U.S. Army and competes in marathons as a member of the U.S.Army World Class Athlete Program.
Elkanah was presented with the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run Torch-Bearer Award just three days before running in the New York City Marathon. He placed fourth in the 2021 N.Y.C. Marathon at age 38, with a stellar time of 2:11:15. He is an American citizen now and feels that he can do very well in this race , hoping to place very high for the U.S.A.
Some members Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team and the Peace Run sang a few running and marathon songs for him written by Sri Chinmoy, Founder of the Peace Run. We also offered him various gifts along with the Peace Run Torch-Bearer Award for his incredible running achievements as well as for his work with youth organizations.
Elkanah humbly accepted the Award and spoke quite eloquently about his running and how he draws inspiration from races like N.Y.C. Marathon and other internationally diverse races of varying lengths.
After the presentations and dinner, Elkanah was invited to a beautiful garden dedicated to the Founder of the Peace Run, Sri Chinmoy, whose efforts for world peace and harmony amongst various cultures of the world spanned over 50 years.
Some of the Peace Run Team members enjoyed the company of such a humble and outstanding athlete who inspired us tremendously with his presence this evening.
Elkanah enjoys a tour of a small museum of many of the various athletes, musicians, actors, and world leaders that had met with Sri Chinmoy over the past decades. Elkanah was thrilled to see some of the people who have been inspiring him in various walks of life since his childhood.
Race day, November 5, and Elkanah 'flew'past us while we cheered him on and sang for him at around the 14 mile point.
Later, just past mile 25 in Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, Elkanah was still maintaining a great pace with only a mile to the finish. Out of 50,000 runners Elkanah finished 11th in the time of 2:12:23. He was the second American runner and was only 14 seconds behind another American runner who placed 10th overall.
Elkanah' s time was incredible at any age, but at age 40 it is an unbelievable achievement which will inspire runners of any age now and for many years to come. We are so grateful to have met Elkanah and to have had the opportunity to offer him the Peace Run Torch-Bearer Award which he so greatly deserves.
