Alex was our special guest this year at our 3rd Eugene Challenge Mile.

"Alex Kipchirchir Rono (born 26 November 1984 in Uasin Gishu) is a middle distance runner from Kenya.

His real breakthrough year was 2006, by winning couple of titles. On 23 March 2006, he won the men's 800 metres event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games with a time of 1 minute, 45.88 seconds. In August 2006, he completed a 800 and 1500 metres double at the 2006 African Championships in Athletics in Bambous, Mauritius.

In 2002, Kipchirchir won the 800 metres at the World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica. Two years later (2004) he broke the junior mile world record in Rome. He represented Kenya at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland where he finished seventh in the 1500 metres final.

Kipchirchir was awarded the 2006 Kenyan Sportsman of the Year award[1].

He graduated from Litein High School. He played football and basketball when still at school and did not take up athletics until December 2001, when he met Moses Tanui who persuaded him to become runner. Only seven months later he became World Junior Champion, in his first race outside Kenya. Before becoming a full-time athlete, he served as a waiter at his uncle's food cafe in Chepkanga, Uasing Gishu District. "( from wikipedia.org)