Interview with Hilda Kibet
by Shannon Martin

Hilda Kibet running in the 2005 Circle of Friends New York Mini, where she placed sixth with a time of 33:16.
Photo by: Alison Wade
New York Road Runners

Hilda Kibet, 26, of Iten, Kenya, and Groet, the Netherlands, is quietly proving to be one of the top half-marathon and 10K racers in the world. She attributes much of her success to her mentor, training partner, and cousin—Lornah Kiplagat.

In 2005, when Kibet first stepped onto the professional running scene, she achieved such feats such as finishing third in the BUPA Great Manchester Run with a time of 31:46, finishing sixth in the Circle of Friends New York Mini 10K with a time of 33:16, and winning the NIKE Egmond Aan Zee Half-Marathon in 1:13.18. Kibet missed a large part of the 2006 racing season due to injuries, but she returned in 2007 to run some astounding PRs: she won the Fortis Den Haag Half-Marathon in 1:09:43 and the Dutch Open 10K Championships in 31:26. Kibet’s 10K at the Dutch Open 10K Championships is currently the second-fastest 10K performance worldwide in 2007, right behind Kiplagat’s 31:05 at the World’s Best 10K in Puerto Rico.

Fast-women.com had the opportunity to sit down with Kibet two days before the NYRR New York Mini 10K, where she will compete in a field that includes such world-class runners as Kiplagat, Benita Johnson, Jelena Prokopcuka, and Lidiya Grigoryeva. Kibet, seeming delighted to return to the Mini 10K for the second time, spoke calmly yet enthusiastically of her recent successes.

Fast-Women.com: Let’s start off by talking about your training. Your recent performances indicate that your training must be going quite well.
Hilda Kibet: My training has been going great. Last year, I was injured for about six months. This year, I have been feeling very strong in training, and yes, my performances show that. I have achieved two personal bests, in the half-marathon and in the 10K.

FW: And how have you progressed with your times in your races so far this year?
HK: The first race was a half-marathon in January in Holland [NIKE Egmond Aan Zee Half-Marathon] and I was running with Gete Wami, and finally I won against her. I outsprinted her at the end, with a time of 1:13:25. My strength was pretty obvious at that point, so I went back to Kenya and continued to train hard, and then I went back to Holland for a 10K [the Dutch Open 10K Championships on February 11]. I was feeling great throughout the whole race; I won and ran a personal best. Two weeks later [February 25], I went to Puerto Rico and I was fourth [in the World’s Best 10K with a time of 32:39], which amazed me, in such a very strong field [her competitors included Kiplagat, Dire Tune, Susan Chepkemei, Meseret Defar, and Tatayana Petrova]. Then I went back to Holland and won the Fortis Den Haag Half-Marathon [on March 17] with yet another personal best.

FW: It sounds like you’re on a roll; maybe you’ll get another personal best this Saturday!
HK: Maybe; we’ll see.

FW: What do you think about the competition in Saturday’s race?
HK: Well, I love coming back to New York for this race because of the competition. Competition makes you strong. I was here two years ago and I loved it, so on Saturday I’m going to try to stick with Benita and Lornah [laughing]. Competition pushes you; maybe in one race you’ll be 40 seconds behind the leaders and in the next race you’ll be only 30 seconds behind them.

FW: Tell me about your involvement with running and when you first began training with Lornah.
HK: I first started running seriously in 2004. When I finished school in Kenya in 1999, I came to Lornah’s place in 2000 and I trained for one year and then after that I went to Holland to study physical therapy, so that took me three years. Ordinarily, the studies are for four years, but I completed my studies in three years.

FW: You pretty much didn’t have time to do anything except study, right?
HK: Exactly! It was very heavy; I was always in school, even on weekends, so there was no time to train. When I finished my physical therapy degree in 2004 I started training with Lornah, and since then, I’ve been getting better and better. I’ve been competing against Lornah since 2005, so not that long. She’s my great example; I learn so much from her.

FW: Do you plan on using physical therapy in the future to work specifically with runners?
HK: Definitely. I would love to do that.

FW: Do you think your studies have helped you to recognize your own injuries?
HK: [Laughing] Sometimes it’s dangerous because once you have a pain in your leg, you think “Oh no! I probably have this, or it could be that, or maybe it’s this.” On the positive side, though, I know what aches and pains can mean, so it helps me to back off my training when I need to. It helps me to slow down.

FW: Do other members of your family run?
HK: Yes, my sister runs. Lornah’s husband [Pieter Langerhorst] called me yesterday and he said, “I just saw the world 10K rankings for 2007, and do you realize that Lornah is number one, you’re number two, and your sister [Sylvia Kibet] is number three so far this year?” I was so excited and surprised!

FW: Do you eat a lot of ugali [the national dish in Kenya—cornmeal cooked with water]? Some of the Kenyan runners swear it makes them run fast!
HK: [Laughing] Yes and no. I’m not on a strictly Kenyan diet. I eat a lot of carbohydrates because I think it’s essential for my running. Sometimes I’ll eat rice, or pasta, and sometimes ugali. I’m not like a lot of Kenyans who believe that ugali makes them run fast; I believe carbohydrates make you fast. I live in Holland part of the time and I train in Kenya. Whenever I go to Kenya I make sure that I bring ugali—or the corn flour—with me back to Holland. I probably make ugali once a week.

FW: Good luck on Saturday. It was a pleasure to speak with you.
HK: Thank you; it was fun talking to you, too.

Interview conducted on June 7, 2007, and posted on June 8, 2007.

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