View source for Margaret Okayo

{{short description|Kenyan marathon runner}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name        = Margaret Okayo
| image       = Margaret Okayo London 2005.jpg
| imagesize   = 
| caption     = Okayo running in the 2005 [[London Marathon]]
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1976|5|30|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Masaba, Kenya|Masaba]], [[Kisii District]], Kenya
| height      = 1.51 m
| weight      = 
| country     = [[Kenya]]
| sport       = [[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]
| event       = [[Marathon]]
| retired     = 
|pb           = 2:22:35 ([[London]] 2004)
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Sport|Women's [[Sport of athletics|athletics]]}}
{{Medal|Country|{{KEN}}}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[World Marathon Majors]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2001 New York City Marathon|2001 New York City]]|Marathon}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2002 Boston Marathon|2002 Boston]]|Marathon}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2003 New York City Marathon|2003 New York City]]|Marathon}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[2004 London Marathon|2004 London]]|Marathon}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[1999 Chicago Marathon|1999 Chicago]]|Marathon}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2000 New York City Marathon|2000 New York City]]|Marathon}}
}}

'''Margaret Okayo''' (born 30 May 1976) is a professional Kenyan [[Marathon|marathon runner]]. She has won four [[World Marathon Majors]] with victories in the [[New York City Marathon]] (two times), the [[Boston Marathon]] and the [[London Marathon]], setting three course records. Okayo's 2003 New York course record of 2:22:31 stood until 2025, despite the challenge of some of the world’s best distance runners having the benefit of improved shoe technology.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Turnbull |first=Simon |date=16 April 2023 |title=Ndereba and Okayo – the marathon greats who blazed a trail for Kenyan women |url=https://worldathletics.org/heritage/news/catherine-ndereba-maragaret-okayo-marathon-boston-new-york |access-date=16 April 2023 |website=[[World Athletics]]}}</ref> She has also won the [[San Diego Marathon]] on two occasions.

==Biography==
Margaret Okayo started running while at primary school. She graduated from the ''Itierio Secondary School'', located near [[Kisii, Kenya|Kisii]] town, in 1993. She was recruited by [[Kenya Prisons Service]], home to the country's top women's marathon runners, in 1995 where she nurtured her running career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200705310245.html|title=Kenya: Athletics - Prisons Staff Line Up for National Meet|publisher=[[AllAfrica]]|work=[[Daily Nation]]|date=31 May 2007|access-date=20 April 2010}}</ref>

At the [[1998 Commonwealth Games]] she finished fifth in [[10,000 metres]]. She finished thirteenth at the [[1999 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships]].

Amongst her most successful races are the wins at the [[New York Marathon]] in 2001 and 2003, the Boston Marathon in 2002 and the London Marathon in 2004. She still holds the course records at the New York Marathon and the Boston Marathon.

Other marathons won by Okayo include [[Milan Marathon|Milan]] in 2003, [[Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon|San Diego]] in 2000 and 2001. She represented her native Kenya in the [[2004 Summer Olympic Games]] in [[Athens]], [[Greece]], but did not finish the [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's marathon|marathon]]. She spends three months of every year training in [[Italy]].

She won the 2003 [[Udine Half Marathon]] and finished third at the 2008 [[Rome-Ostia Half Marathon]].<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[International Association of Athletics Federations|IAAF]]|date=30 September 2008|title= Italian road race season off to flying start with Bekele and Okayo|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/italian-road-race-season-off-to-flying-start|access-date=9 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="rome08">{{cite news|publisher= IAAF|date=28 February 2008|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/womens-course-record-goes-at-rome-ostia-half|title=Women's course record goes at Rome-Ostia Half Marathon with 1:09 run|access-date=9 May 2016}}</ref>

Okayo is of the [[Kisii people|Gusii]] tribe. She is managed by [[Federico Rosa]] and coached by [[Gabriele Rosa]].

==Achievements==
*<small>All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise</small>
{|{{AchievementTable|nation=KEN|Event=no|Time=yes|NotesOff=yes}}
|-
|1999
|[[Chicago Marathon]] 
|[[Chicago|Chicago, IL]], United States
|bgcolor=silver|2nd
|2:26:00
|-
|rowspan=2|2000
|[[Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon]] 
|[[San Diego|San Diego, CA]], United States
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2:27:05
|-
|[[New York City Marathon]] 
|[[New York City|New York, NY]], United States
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd
|2:26:36
|-
|rowspan=2|2001
|[[Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Marathon]] 
|[[San Diego|San Diego, CA]], United States
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2:25:05
|-
|[[New York City Marathon]] 
|[[New York City|New York, NY]], United States
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2:24:21
|-
|rowspan=2|2002
|[[Boston Marathon]] 
|[[Boston|Boston, MA]], United States
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2:20:43
|-
|[[Milan Marathon]]
|[[Milan]], Italy
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2:24:59
|-
|rowspan=2|2003
|[[Boston Marathon]]
|[[Boston|Boston, MA]], United States
|4th
|2:27:39
|-
|[[New York City Marathon]] 
|[[New York City|New York, NY]], United States
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2:22:31
|-
|rowspan=3|2004
|[[London Marathon]] 
|[[London]], United Kingdom
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|2:22:35
|-
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|[[Athens]], Greece
|&mdash;
|[[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's marathon|DNF]]
|-
|[[New York City Marathon]] 
|[[New York City|New York, NY]], United States
|4th
|2:26:31
|-
|2005
|[[London Marathon]]
|[[London]], United Kingdom
|4th
|2:25:22
|-
|2006
|[[London Marathon]]
|[[London]], United Kingdom
|9th
|2:29:16
|}{{Wikiquote}}

==References==
*[http://www.iaaf.org/news/athletes/newsid=26950.html IAAF: Focus on Athletes]
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{sport links}}
* [http://marathoninfo.free.fr/athletes/okayo.htm Marathoninfo profile]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110715203212/http://www.rosassociati.com/public/images/atleti/Okayo%20Margaret.pdf Rosa & Associati profile]

{{Footer London Marathon Champions Women}}
{{Footer New York Marathon Champions Women}}
{{Footer Boston Marathon Champions Women}}
{{Footer San Diego Marathon Champions Women}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okayo, Margaret}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Kenyan women long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Kenyan women marathon runners]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:London Marathon women winners]]
[[Category:Boston Marathon women winners]]
[[Category:New York City Marathon women winners]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for Kenya]]
[[Category:People from Kisii County]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Nyanza Province]]
[[Category:21st-century Kenyan sportswomen]]