It was a warm summer night with a bright canopy of stars over the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro. The winds had calmed down, but the air still felt electric as the runners lined up for the final round of the 1500 meter event. Many of these women had already won world championships or even set world records before, but nothing could prepare them for what would happen next.

After a first lap around the stadium track, one of the runners from Ethiopia began to speed up. A Dutch runner accelerated too, and then a Scottish runner pushed the pace even faster.

Then, with just over 200 meters to go, a young runner from Kenya dashed ahead of them all. She looked so light on her feet, it was as if she was floating. The crowd gasped and gaped at her strides. She made it look so easy! She crossed the finish line with her head tipped up to the sky and a huge smile on her face. Then, she dropped to the ground and cried for joy.

That woman’s name is Faith Kipyegon and every race since then, she has been redefining what it means to be a female athlete. One bounding step at a time.

I’m Cynthia Kimola, and this is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, a fairy tale podcast about the real life rebel women who inspire us.

On this episode, Faith Kipyegon, Olympic champion, world champion, and world record runner, who always finds new ways to reach for the gold.

Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon was born in 1994 and grew up in a small village in western Kenya’s Rift Valley
called Ndababit. It was bright and hilly and Faith loved the feeling of sprinting through the long grass with her bare feet. She ran all the time. She had to! As the eighth of nine children, Faith was always chasing after someone.

“Kwenda! Go!”
Faith ran almost ten miles a day — four kilometers to school in the morning, then four home for lunch, then back to school, and back home at the end of the day. This was her routine from the time she was in preschool through eighth grade.

It was challenging for sure, especially getting up early when she wanted to stay in bed. But Faith felt like running was in her blood — she was part of the Kalenjin tribe, which is a people known for appreciating running and connecting to the earth. And when Faith turned fourteen and a running coach asked her whether she wanted to run competitively, her answer was sure and strong: YES.

A few years later, in 2011, Faith was walking through the long grasses at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, Kenya. She was about to run her first big competition in the junior division of the Kenyan National Cross Country Championships. It was one of the most competitive races in the world, with a 6-kilometer sprint over rough terrain and facing strong winds.

But that wouldn’t stop Faith! She had been running over rough terrain since she was a kid. She took one look at the course ahead of her and knew she could win. She focused her energy, her long strides carrying her over hills and ruts, rocks and roots, all the way to the finish line. And all the way to the win.

The next year, she won another big race. This time, it was her first global title in the World Cross Country race in Spain. Faith felt like this was what she was born to do. She’d been running all her life, but now she was really taking off!

After that first win at the World Cross Country junior race in 2011, there really was no stopping Faith. She won titles at the 2011 World U18 and 2012 World U20, then started running at the World Championships in 2013. She took home medal after medal, including that dramatic gold medal finish at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

“Many people benefited from that gold medal,” Faith has said. “My village got electricity after that.”

Faith always remembered and honored her roots in Kenya. In fact, she wanted to pass on her love of running and Kenyan traditions by making a family. So, even though it was not clear how her own running career would hold up after childbirth, Faith and her husband started planning to have a child.

In 2018, Faith challenged herself and her body in a whole new way — she gave birth to a baby girl named Alyn. Faith adored becoming a mom, but she did wonder what it would mean for her training. She took a maternity break and found new ways to channel her energy with her growing family. She also found great strength in motherhood — whether it was caring for her newborn or teaching her child how to eat, speak, laugh, and sing.

And yet, Faith needed to get back out there. She needed to run.

Faith went back to the World Championships in 2019 with new purpose and momentum. She felt like motherhood had given her a powerful energy and focus. And when she got to the track, she felt like she was running for her daughter, for her family, and even for herself, and the little girl she once was in the hills of Kenya.

Faith’s training was different now, too. She still had to get up before sunrise, conditioning six days a week. But she spent her day off connecting with her family and going on adventures. Faith also talked to her daughter before every race, for inspiration. Alyn always asked her mom to bring home a sweet treat and a gold medal — a fair request, even though sometimes it meant pushing herself harder than ever before.

Faith has always been up for the challenge though. She’s broken multiple world records, taken home three Olympic gold medals, and was named the World Athlete of the Year for 2023. She’s also the first woman to win three successive Olympic gold medals in a single track discipline, and the first runner of any gender to win three back-to-back gold medals in the 1,500 meter race. She’s even training to break the 4-minute mile barrier, something that’s never been done before. Something people used to doubt was even possible! And Faith never forgets to pick up some chocolate on the way home for her biggest fan.

Being a role model for her daughter and kids around the world continues to push Faith to run her hardest. And when she bravely attempts to break the 4-minute mile, runners around the world will be watching.

“When young runners from the next generation watch me compete, I want them to see freedom — the freedom to challenge themselves in new ways,” says Faith.

Whether that means freedom to run, freedom to be a mother, freedom to walk barefoot through the tall grass, Faith is leading the way. She shares her story with young athletes because she wants everyone to trust and empower their bodies.

This is how Faith keeps going. This is how she ran to school and back every day — twice a day. She listens to what her body needs, she gives thanks to the earth below her and the sky above. She roots, she rises, and then, she runs.

CREDITS

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.

This episode was narrated by ME, Cynthia Kimola. It was produced and directed by Haley Dapkus, with sound design and mixing by Mumble Media.

The story was written by Abby Sher. Fact checking by Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal. Our intern was Arianna Griffiths. Our executive producers were Joy Smith, Anjelika Temple, and Jes Wolfe.

Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi.

A special thanks to Faith Kipyegon and the whole Rebel Girls team, who made this podcast possible! Until next time, staaaay rebel!