PK🇰🇪
Philemon Kiriago
Kisii, KenyaBorn
2002-08-12Sponsor
On
UTMB
976ITRA
948Wins
15Podiums
40
Kenyan mountain runner from Kisii, Philemon Kiriago was a school handball goalkeeper before the Austrian-Kenyan Run2gether project brought him to Europe in 2022; within two seasons he was the first Kenyan to win Sierre-Zinal, and he has since added two more Sierre-Zinal titles, two Mountain Running World Cup overall wins and the 2025 world Classic up-and-down title.
Race Results
2026
10
races4
wins
Sep 20
24.7km
2,020m+
Trofeo Nasego
Sep 6
21.5km
1,336m+
Jul 5
30km
1,450m+
Jun 21
22.9km
1,372m+
May 24
21km
1,700m+
May 9
24km
2,097m+
7km
1,203m+
24.3km
1,948m+
7.4km
1,341m+
2025
5
races3
wins
Oct 12
21km
1,700m+
Golden Trail World Series Grand Finale; 3rd
in the series overall
14km
820m+
World champion; team gold
6.4km
990m+
Å marna Gora
Aug 24
10km
Course record; clinched the Mountain Running
World Cup overall title
Career Highlights
2026: Third Sierre-Zinal win (2:26:24); wins at
Broken Arrow 23K, Transvulcania Half Marathon and
Trofeo Nasego
2025: World champion in the Classic up-and-down race
at Canfranc, plus team gold; second Sierre-Zinal win;
second Mountain Running World Cup overall title; 3rd
in the Golden Trail World Series
2024: 2nd at Sierre-Zinal in the third-fastest time
in race history; turns professional with On
2023: First Kenyan winner of Sierre-Zinal; Mountain
Running World Cup overall winner; world silver in the
Up & Down race at Innsbruck and team gold; 3rd in
the Golden Trail World Series
2022: First European season - 2nd overall in the
Mountain Running World Cup with seven podiums in eight
races; world silver in the Uphill race at Chiang
Mai
Key Achievements
Sierre-Zinal Winner (2023, 2025, 2026) - First Kenyan
to win the race
World Mountain Running Champion, Classic Up &
Down (2025)
World Mountain Running Championships Silver - Uphill
(2022), Up & Down (2023)
Mountain Running World Cup Overall Winner (2023,
2025)
Golden Trail World Series - 3rd overall (2023,
2025)
Broken Arrow Skyrace 23K Winner (2026)
Trofeo Nasego Winner (2023, 2025, 2026)
Transvulcania Half Marathon Winner (2026)
Notable Traits
Played handball in goal at school in Kenyoro before
an injury turned him to running (800m and
5,000m)
Joined Run2gether in 2021 and was coached into
European mountain running by Austrian Thomas Krejci;
trains between Kenya and the team camp in
Austria
Made his European debut in 2022 with a course record
at the Mugelberglauf and a win at Monte Faudo
Long the runner-up to compatriot Patrick Kipngeno
before beating him at Sierre-Zinal 2023 and for the
2023 World Cup
Signed with On in March 2024 alongside Kipngeno and
Philaries Jeruto Kisang
Known as a strong descender: his Sierre-Zinal wins in
2023 and 2026 were decided on the final drop to
Zinal