Murder After the Marathon: How Race Winnings Expose Kenya's Female Runners to Violence
ARTE.tv Documentary
This ARTE documentary visits Kenya's distance-running heartland. It asks why winning, for many women athletes there, brings extortion, abuse, and sometimes murder instead of security. The film follows Evelyn Ruto, a 42-year-old runner rebuilding her career after an abusive marriage. It also follows Joan Chelimo, a top athlete who founded an NGO in memory of her murdered friend Agnes Tirop, and Tirop's family, who are still waiting for justice. The documentary argues that the money from running pulls women out of poverty, but in a patriarchal society with weak institutions, that same money also draws predators to them.
A Marathon Day in the Highlands
The film opens before dawn on a Sunday, as 3,000 athletes from across East Africa warm up for a marathon. The narration says most of the world's best endurance runners train at about 2,500 metres on Kenya's high plateaus above the Rift Valley. In this region, it adds, hard work is often the only way out of poverty.
Evelyn Ruto is running that morning. She belongs to a team of women runners who have survived domestic abuse and want to break the silence around it. Before the start she calls it "a big day" and says she thinks everything will be okay.
Even at a local race like this, the narrator notes, winners take home the equivalent of about €20,000; an announcer is heard naming a winner of "3.5 million." The film describes the other side of the coin as extortion, harassment and even murder, because growing prize money attracts predators.
The Publicized Killings
The documentary lists the cases that drew international attention:
- In 2021, Agnes Tirop, the 10 km world record holder, was stabbed by her husband, who was also her coach.
- A few months later, Damaris Mutua was strangled by her partner.
- After competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Rebecca Cheptegei was burned alive by her former partner.
The film presents these femicides as only the most visible cases of a problem that runs through Kenyan running and Kenyan society as a whole. One young interviewee calls gender-based violence "a huge issue," especially since an athlete was killed a few years ago. She cites a statistic she qualifies with "if I'm not wrong": one woman murdered every eight hours in a gender-based violence case. Another woman says many people her age are married without knowing "how marriage works," and that household disagreements can end with one person taking a knife to the other. The narration adds that Kenyan police recorded 580 femicides in 2024.
Evelyn finishes 28th, below what she had hoped for. For her and her teammates, though, the main goal of the day is to send a message to young female athletes. She believes the next generation will be better off "because now they have people to teach them," so they know how to defend themselves. She says that was not true for her own generation, who had no one telling them about it.
Evelyn's Story: Winning Without Getting Paid
The narrator calls Evelyn's story "sadly common in Kenya." She could earn thousands of euros per race, but her husband took all her winnings. She says she won many races in Kenya but never saw the money. She describes him going to the bar every day, coming home late at night, and beating her. When she won, the money existed, but she never had it. She believes that with a different partner, "I could have been a champion." She eventually divorced him.
She now lives alone with her four children, plus chickens and dogs, in Iten, a small farming town in western Kenya known as the world capital of long-distance running. According to the film, since the 2000s this region has won more Olympic athletics medals than France and Germany combined, which earned it the title "home of champions." Evelyn runs every day with a neighbour, 25 km in the morning and 15 km in the afternoon. She says she has no other job, so running is her work, and she will keep going until her legs stop moving.
She shows the camera her small garden of fruit, spinach and chilli, and her four laying hens. She sells chicks to help pay rent and support her children. She says this is not enough for school fees, but it keeps the family going.
The Night Attack
Evelyn and her children thought the violence was behind them. Then, the year before filming, the family took in another female athlete. That woman's ex-husband, also a top athlete, came through the fence in the middle of the night and walked straight into the house. Evelyn says he carried a knife, a rope and a stick, hit the woman on the head and cut her neck. Evelyn's children were sleeping in another room.
The young woman survived and returned to competition. Based on Evelyn's testimony, the attacker was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Evelyn says that afterward people spread "fake news" about her on social media, claiming she had given false evidence, in what she describes as an attempt to tarnish her name. The narrator notes that despite everything, both women were lucky to be alive.
Agnes Tirop: A Case Still Unresolved
The film then turns to the pattern it says keeps repeating among Iten's women runners: a boyfriend becomes a coach, then an abuser. Agnes Tirop had built a house and wanted to leave a violent, possessive partner. She had just signed a major sponsorship deal after breaking the 10 km world record and was seen as the rising star of her sport.
Her brother Martin Tirop shows the bedroom where her body was found. He says the partner had no job and Agnes bought him everything, including clothes and food. He also says the man had tried to change the ownership documents for her assets. Agnes was murdered at 25.
Her career now fits inside a single bag of medals from London, Doha and Cape Town. Her brother points to the medal from her first race, which she ran and won barefoot because at the time she did not know how to run in shoes. The narration explains that for their father, a milkman who delivered by bicycle, a good pair of shoes cost several months' wages. Soon Agnes's victories were supporting the whole family.
For five years the family has fought for justice while the alleged killer remains on the run. Her mother had noticed signs of abuse but did not step in, and she now visits her daughter's grave every day. Near the end of the film, the parents dress up for court as hearings resume after a year's break. Disappointment follows almost at once: a new judge has been assigned. The family accuses the alleged killer of bribing the authorities to get bail; he has since disappeared. Asked whether there has been corruption, a family member answers that "there is a problem inside the court." They point out that the judge changes every two years. They hope the new judge will not let the case drag on. The film closes with a statistic: in Kenya, only 6% of femicide cases over the past decade have reached a verdict.
Strides for Africa: Athletes Organizing Themselves
The film presents the athletes' self-organization as a response to the authorities' slow action. Joan Chelimo, a top runner and one of Agnes Tirop's closest friends, founded Strides for Africa in Agnes's memory. The NGO supports Evelyn's team of 14 women who have suffered abuse. On the day of filming, the group welcomes two new members with singing. To put them at ease, Joan shares her own story: everything she and her partner had pooled, including the land and the house they built, was lost.
To help members avoid scams, the NGO runs micro-credit workshops. The narration gives the context: most Kenyan women have no bank account, money is usually managed by fathers, brothers or husbands, and men hold 98% of property titles.
Joan explains why this teaching matters to her. At the start of her career she was taught resilience, how to train hard, how to be disciplined and how to win. "But nobody told me on what happens after winning," she says. Having lost everything herself, she thinks it is essential to teach young women "what happens after the finish line," because she sees the abuse and vulnerability coming right after it.
A Shelter in a Place Without Services
For emergencies, the NGO has set up a shelter with help from a nun, Sister Mccrina. Some runners have already stayed there, and the newest members are seeing it for the first time. Joan calls it "my dream." She says that in almost four years of fighting gender-based violence, one of the hardest problems was having nowhere to send women after they came for counselling.
The narration stresses how little the state provides in these rural areas. There are almost no public services, and even Iten's municipal stadium is falling apart. In that absence, the film says, money from sports brands such as Adidas, Asics and Nike draws a lot of attention. Top athletes can earn tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros a year. Joan is one of them, having come back to elite running after childbirth.
Running as the Way Out, and the Ideas It Brings Back
Speakers describe running as the main route out of poverty. One estimates that "80%" of the way out of Iten's poverty is through running. Another says her own path to a scholarship and to leaving the country came through the sport. They stress that it demands hard work, discipline and consistency.
The film suggests that travel abroad exposes athletes to other models of society, and they bring back ideas that challenge local traditions. Joan describes trying to change cultural norms that confined women to the kitchen, childbearing and the home, and she says this is why there is "a lot of fight." She believes most women are not aware of their rights, or even that what they are going through counts as gender-based violence. In her view, more workshops and outreach are still needed.
The Mobile Clinic: Abuse as Common Experience
In another scene, the runners volunteer at a mobile clinic where 3,000 villagers are expected for free care, with the paediatrician and dentist in especially high demand. Sister Mccrina, a counsellor, sets up next to the queues. She recounts an incident involving one of her sons, two fingers cut off with a machete, and an inheritance dispute. She speaks of men who make sure a woman is "just nothing" while they are alive. One of the women then shares that her father beat her pregnant mother to death.
The narrator observes that most of the women in the film, including Sister Mccrina, Joan and Evelyn, have experienced abuse.
How Men See It
The film then turns to men. The narration says abuse has become so normal for many men that most do not see the problem. One young man is asked whether it is acceptable for a woman who earns a lot to manage her own money. He answers that in his generation, if he married a woman who earned more than him, there would be "no respect," and the man would end up "doing something bad" to avoid losing, because "for men, we don't lose." Another man describes a belief in African communities that men must beat women. He says some men are stubborn, do not understand when he talks about the issue, and always believe the women are the problem.
A further voice explains how violence escalates: "Murder doesn't just happen in one day." It starts with small acts of violence and exploitation and builds until someone is killed.
An Open Ending
The film offers no resolution. Evelyn keeps running and plans to continue as long as her legs allow. Joan's network is growing, with a shelter and financial workshops aimed at the moment after the finish line. Agnes Tirop's family returns home from court with a new judge, an absent defendant, and the knowledge that only 6% of femicide cases in the past decade have reached a verdict. The film leaves open whether the new judge will let the case languish.
The world's best endurance runners come from East Africa. Most train at 2,500 m above sea level on Kenya's high plateaus overlooking the Rift Valley, the cradle of humanity.
Before dawn on this Sunday, 3,000 athletes from across the region warm up for a marathon.
At 42, Evelyn Ruto is trying to revive the career her abusive husband cut short.
It's a big day for me today. I think it has been long running in Kenya. I think everything will be okay.
Evelyn is part of a team of women runners who have suffered from domestic abuse and want to break the silence.
The marathon over 42 km ranks among the toughest sporting events for the human body.
In this region, hard work is often the only way out of poverty, but it can also be a cruel spectacle because victory can prove a curse, especially for women.
The winner of this category will be...
Races bring in more and more money, attracting predators.
Amazing. Even in this local race, the winners take home the equivalent of €20,000.
And then she's the winner of 3.5 million.
The other side of the coin: extortion, harassment, and even murder. In 2021, Agnes Tirop, the 10 km world record holder, was stabbed by her husband and coach. A few months later, Damaris Mutua was strangled by her partner. After competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Rebecca Cheptegei was burned alive by her former partner.
These femicides are the most publicized cases of a problem affecting Kenya's running world and society as a whole.
Gender-based violence.
Yeah.
Do you believe it's an issue among society?
Oh, it's a huge issue. It's definitely a big issue here, especially with the athlete who was killed a few years ago. And also I think the statistic is one woman every 8 hours, if I'm not wrong, being murdered in a case of gender-based violence.
My age, most of them are married like me and they don't know how marriage works. So you find that when they disagree in the house, one might take a knife and stab another one.
Kenyan police recorded 580 femicides in 2024.
Evelyn finishes 28th today, a result below what she had hoped for. But for her and her team, the priority is to send a message to young female athletes.
I think in the generation that's coming now, at least it will be better for them because now they have people to teach them so they know how to defend themselves. It's not like us, no one telling us about it.
My name is Hillaryonga.
In this still patriarchal country, we followed athletes who turned their journeys into a source of pride.
I don't have job. I'm not working. So, this is my job.
Evelyn's story is sadly common in Kenya. She could earn thousands of euros per race, but her husband took all her winnings.
I will retire when my leg is not moving. But if they still moving, I'll continue running. Yeah.
Every day, Evelyn runs with her neighbor, 25 km in the morning and 15 in the afternoon. They both live in Iten, a small town known as the world capital of long-distance running.
Since the 2000s, this farming region of western Kenya has won more Olympic athletics medals than France and Germany combined. So much so that it claimed the title "Home of Champions." It's hard to imagine this austere setting as the scene of daily violence.
I was running good races. I win a lot of races here in Kenya. But I'm not seeing any money. The money is going to husband.
Every day we go to the bar drinking alcohol, coming late at night, coming beating me. And I win the race, he's there, but when I don't have money, he's not there. He could have be a good guy, I think I could have been somewhere. I could have be a champion.
She eventually divorced him. The athlete now lives alone with her four children, chickens and dogs.
Hey guys. Hey. I'm back. I'm back. I'm back. I'm back. This is my garden. I plant some. You see there is some fruits, spinach, chili, sukuma wiki, chili. And the other side. This is my business. And I keep chickens here. So for now I have only four chickens and they are laying. I always sell some chicks to pay my rent and help my kids. Although it's not enough for school fees, but it keeps us going.
Evelyn and her children thought the violence was behind them. But last year, the nightmare returned when the family sheltered another athlete. Her ex-husband, also a top athlete, attacked her in the middle of the night.
Wow.
It's the lady. And this is me last year. Very...
The guy come through the fence there and come directly inside. So that time my kids, they were using the other room. So the guy come inside the room with a knife, rope and a stick. So he hits the lady the head and cut the neck.
The young woman survived and returned to competition. Based on Evelyn's testimony, her attacker received a 12-year prison sentence.
This is what happened when I was trying to go to court to help the lady, and some people put fake news about me in social media. It was not. They said I give out fake evidence and I'm calling people. They're trying to tarnish my name.
Despite what they endured, Evelyn and her friend were lucky. Both women are still alive.
The pattern of a boyfriend becoming a coach, then an abuser, keeps repeating among Iten's female marathon runners, just like the tragedy that unfolded here.
Agnes Tirop, Martin Tirop's sister, had had this house built and wanted to leave her violent, possessive partner.
The champion had just signed a major sponsorship deal after breaking the 10 km world record. She was seen as the rising star of her sport.
Here is the bedroom of where the body was found. Yeah.
Before, he tried to change the documents of assets of Agnes, all documents, because that guy was jobless. Agnes was buying him anything, even clothes, food.
Murdered at 25. Her sporting career fits inside this bag. Medals collected around the world: London, Doha, Cape Town.
This is the first race when she's running barefoot, and she won because that time she was not even know how to run with the shoes.
Back then, for their father, a bicycle milkman, a good pair of shoes cost several months' wages. Soon Agnes' victories supported the whole family.
For 5 years, the family have fought for justice while the alleged killer remains on the run. They hope hearings will resume in a few days.
Frustrated by the authorities' slow response, the athletes are organizing themselves. In her usual purple tracksuit, Joan Chelimo was one of Agnes' closest friends. In her memory, she founded Strides for Africa, a run for Africa. She supports Evelyn's team of 14 women who have suffered abuse.
Today the group welcomes two new members.
Congratulations.
To put the newcomers at ease, Joan shares her own story.
Okay.
What happened?
Her partner.
So all the money we used to put together, all the money. We bought a land, build a house.
Even the story, everything lost.
To help them avoid scams, the NGO runs microcredit workshops. Most Kenyan women don't have a bank account. Fathers, brothers or husbands manage the money. Here, men hold 98% of property titles.
When I started my career, I was told only on the resilience, on how to train hard, how to be disciplined and how to win a race. But nobody told me on what happens after winning. So I felt like through my experience that I lost everything that I lost, it's also important to teach them now what happens after the finish line. And all this abuse, all this vulnerability comes just after the finish line.
For emergencies, the NGO has set up a shelter with help from a nun, Sister McCrivate.
At the moment, this is the room we use.
Some runners have already slept here. The latest arrivals are discovering the place.
This is like my dream because for the almost four years fighting gender-based violence, it was very hard and a big challenge to not to rescue people or just to don't know where to send them after they come for counseling. Yeah.
In these rural areas there are almost no public services. In the world capital of running, even the municipal stadium is falling apart. With the state so absent, money from sports brands like Adidas, Asics and Nike turns heads.
Top athletes can earn tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros a year, like Joan Chelimo, who bounced back after childbirth.
You see the surrounding of Iten is not very rich. It's poor. So the only way to get out of poverty, I would say 80%, is through running.
So running is not an easy sport. It requires a lot of hard work, discipline and consistency. For instance, my story, to get scholarship or to just get out of the country was through running.
Traveling abroad exposes the athletes to other models of society. Beyond the trophies, the athletes bring ideas back to Kenya that challenge traditions.
We're trying to change the cultural norms where the place of the woman in the society was only in the kitchen and just to give birth and stay home. That's why there's a lot of fight. Most of the women are not aware of their rights, and I feel like we still have to do more workshops and more outreach so that they're aware they are going through gender-based violence.
That day the runners volunteer at a mobile clinic where 3,000 villagers are expected for free care. The pediatrician and dentist are in high demand. Sister Mccrina, the counselor, has set up beside these queues.
One of her sons cut off two fingers with a machete over an inheritance dispute.
Mhm.
Yeah. The man really makes sure that you are just nothing if he's still alive. Yeah, he will make sure you will really serve until you come to be.
I went through the same. My mom was killed by my dad. He beat her to death and she was expecting twins.
Sister Mccrina, Joan, Evelyn. Most women here have experienced abuse.
For men though, it has become so normal that most don't see the problem.
He's a man.
Riptoy.
Example, if a woman earns a lot of money and then she wants to handle the money, do you think that's okay or should...
That's the problem you're facing right away. Of course, our generations, maybe if I marry a lady who earns more than me, there will be no respect. The guy will end up doing something bad to avoid losing. For men, we don't lose.
In African community, there is a taboo that men, it's a must for men to beat women. They are stubborn men. They don't understand what I'm talking about. You see, they always believe that the ladies are the problem.
Murder doesn't just happen in one day. It start with a small violence, like just beating up and then taking advantage, and it piles up until someone murders someone else.
Agnes Tirop's mother noticed these signs of abuse, but she did not intervene. Since then, she visits her murdered daughter's grave daily.
More than 5 years after her murder, her family still awaits a verdict. This morning, her parents dressed up for court. After a year's break, hearings are due to resume. But disappointment soon follows.
So the new judge...
The family is furious. They accuse the alleged killer of bribing the authorities to secure bail. He has since disappeared.
Yes.
Do you think there has been some corruption?
There is a problem inside the court.
Yes. Corruption.
There is a problem inside the court.
Why? Every two years the judge will be changing now.
The family hopes the new judge won't let the case languish. In Kenya, only 6% of femicide cases over the past decade have reached a verdict.
Like that.
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