13th April is the red letter day this month for thousands of dedicated runners, as they pound the streets of the capital in the Flora London Marathon. Catherine Nbereba knows the route well but as a world-class runner, her sights are set on the Olympics.

Her best ever marathon time came in the Chicago Marathon in 2001 when her winning time of 2 hours 18 minutes 47 seconds was also the fastest ever women’s marathon time. To this day only Paula Radcliffe (2003) has run faster.
Catherine is at the top of her form and has enjoyed great success but it was not ever so. She first ran for Kenya in 1995 at the age of 23 and had moderate success over the next few years.
2000 proved to be a roller coaster year. She established herself in genuine world class with wins in the Boston and Chicago marathons but did not make the Kenyan Olympic team. ‘It was my biggest disappointment in my running career when I didn’t make the team for the Olympics in 2000. I was ready for it; I was qualified for it. But the Kenya Federation picked another runner, who had not run in the trials, instead of me. I just felt like I could quit running. It was so painful but all I said was this is not God’s time, I am sure His time will be the final because the Bible tells me that the door that He opens no man can shut and whatever He shuts no man can open.’

By the time the 2004 Olympics came along, there was no way that the Federation could leave her out. Running in her first Olympics at the age of 32 added to the pressure. ‘I felt a burden on my shoulders because I knew everybody in the country was hoping that I’m going to win and bring back a medal for Kenya.’
Catherine went into the Olympics, carrying an injury. ‘I suffered from a hamstring injury three months before the championships, which had made my training preparation so hard. I just tried to pray and trust God that with Him all things are possible.
‘Once the race started I just took it very easy hoping that my body would keep on catching up and loosening and I could make it. So once I started seeing people breaking from 25th kilometre I got kind of scared, but I said well I am sure that God is with me and He is going to carry me even when my legs cannot.’
Catherine ran a good race but finished 12 seconds behind Mizuki Noguchi of Japan. Despite all her successes, Catherine is focussed on her faith in Jesus Christ.
She says, ‘My fame doesn’t come just by itself, it is a gift from God. And I thank God, when I came to know Jesus I knew that I have a friend, a friend who is always there with me, somebody who understands me even when nobody can understand me. He understands my pains, everything.’ She adds, ‘Jesus died because of my sins He (God) loves me so much and He wouldn’t want me to die or have eternal destruction so that is why He offered Jesus to die on the cross on my behalf, so that I may live with Him.’ Catherine has a few years of running left in her and adding the Olympic gold medal in Beijing would be the icing on the cake.