Mark Kosgey Kiptoo is a Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

n long-distance runner

Long-distance track event

Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...

 who specializes in the 5000 metres

5000 metres

The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...

.

He was born in Lugari

Lugari

Lugari is a town in the Western Province of Kenya. It is the capital of Lugari District. The town is located 10 kilometres east of Webuye. Lugari has an urban population of 5000 ....

. One of his earliest major events was the 2007 Military World Games

Track and field at the 2007 Military World Games

At the 2007 Military World Games, the track and field events were held at the G. M. C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad, India from 15 – 18 October 2007. A total of 36 events were contested, of which 22 by male and 14 by female athletes...

, where he won the 5000 m and took second place behind compatriot John Cheruiyot Korir

John Cheruiyot Korir

John Cheruiyot Korir is a Kenyan athlete who specializes in long-distance running. He in known to be an athlete who often shines at trials but fails to win big competitions.-Career:...

 over 10,000 metres. At the 2008 World Athletics Final

2008 IAAF World Athletics Final

The 6th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart, Germany on September 13 and September 14, 2008.A number of road races also took place on the second day of competition. There were seven different starting points around the Stuttgart area and the distances varied...

 he finished sixth in the 3000 metres and fourth in the 5000 metres. At the 2009 World Athletics Final

2009 IAAF World Athletics Final

The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics meetings which began on September 20, 2008 at the...

 he finished eighth in the 3000 metres and fifth in the 5000 metres. He finished fourteenth at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships

2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...

 and seventh at the 2009 World Cross Country Championships

2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships

The 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Al Bisharat Golf Course at Amman, Jordan on 28 March 2009. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...

. He also takes part in road running

Road running

Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

 competitions and finished as the runner-up at the 2009 World 10K Bangalore

World 10K Bangalore

The World 10K Bangalore is an annual 10 kilometres road running competition which takes place in Bangalore, India. The competition was first held in 2008 and usually takes place in late May...

 behind Deriba Merga.

At the 2010 African Championships in Athletics

2010 African Championships in Athletics

The 2010 African Championships in Athletics was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 28 July to 1 August 2010.-Background:The African Championships in Athletics were held in Kenya for the first time...

 he formed part of a Kenyan podium sweep of the 5000 m taking bronze behind Edwin Soi

Edwin Soi

Edwin Cheruiyot Soi is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 3000 and 5000 metres.His earliest honours were team gold medals with Kenya at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2006 and 2007...

 and Vincent Yator. He ran a new personal best at the DN Galan

DN Galan

-External links:**...

 Diamond League

2010 IAAF Diamond League

The 2010 IAAF Diamond League was the first edition of the Diamond League, an annual series of fourteen one-day track and field meetings. The series began on 14 May in Doha, Qatar and ended on 27 August in Brussels, Belgium....

 meeting, running 12:53.46 to secure a major circuit win over 5000 m. In light of these achievements, he earned selection for the 2010 Commonwealth Games

Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games

The athletics competition at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held in New Delhi, India between 6 and 14 October. The track and field events took place between 6–12 October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium while the marathon contests were held on a street course running through the city on 14...

 and he took the 5000 m bronze medal behind Moses Kipsiro

Moses Kipsiro

Moses Ndiema Kipsiro is a Ugandan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres. He was the bronze medallist in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics...

 and Eliud Kipchoge

Eliud Kipchoge

Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan long distance runner who has won medals at Olympic and World level....

.

He opened his 2011 season with a podium finish at the Parelloop

Parelloop

Parelloop is an annual 10 kilometres road running competition usually held in late March or early April in Brunssum, the Netherlands. The inaugural edition was held in 1989....

 10K in the Netherlands in April.

His personal best times are 7:32.97 minutes in the 3000 metres

3000 metres

The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...

, achieved in May 2009 in Doha

Doha

Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...

; 12:53.46 minutes in the 5000 metres

5000 metres

The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...

, achieved in August 2010; and 27:14.67 minutes in the 10,000 metres, achieved in June 2008 in Eugene.