Helah Kiprop Jelagat (born 7 April 1985) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who competes in the half marathon and marathon. Her personal bests for the events are 1:07:39 minutes and 2:21:27 hours, respectively.[2]
Kiprop had her first win in a European road race in Nogent-sur-Marne in 2005, running 32:55 minutes at the local 10K run. She began training with GS Valsugana Trentino, an athletics club in Trento, Italy, and made a successful half marathon debut in September 2005, taking third place at the high profile Lille Half Marathon with a time of 74:02 minutes. She ran for the club in track races in 2006 and 2007, but did not have the same levels of performance as she did on the roads.[3] She won the Corrida di San Geminiano 15K race in 2007.[4] She returned to Kenya in 2008 and at the end of the year won the Tuskys Wareng Cross Country.[5]
The 2013 season marked a career breakthrough for Kiprop as she achieved new personal bests and ran in her first major marathon race. She began the year with a win at the Egmond Half Marathon.[12] The RAK Half Marathon proved to be a very fast race, with four women under 67 minutes – Kiprop's personal best time of 67:39 minutes for sixth place was the fastest ever recorded for such a low position.[13] She set out to win at the Berlin Half Marathon, taking an early lead, and was first to finish in 67:54 minutes, reversing her placings with Ongori from the previous year.[14] Her fast performances earned her an invite to the 2013 Berlin Marathon and on her debut run she recorded a time of 2:28:02 hours for the distance, ending in fourth place in the top level competition. Her last outing that year was at the first ever Kochi Half Marathon, which she won.[15]
Kiprop was among the leaders at the 2014 RAK Half Marathon, but fell behind the eventual winner Priscah Jeptoo and finished fourth in 68:36 minutes.[16] At the 2014 Seoul International Marathon, Kiprop topped the podium in the classic distance for the first time. Her run of 2:27:29 hours was a personal best and enough to fend off Ashu Kasim in the final kilometres of the race.[17]