Agnes Ngetich On The Difficult Life & Upbringing That Made Her The World Record-Setting Runner She Is

My guest for today’s episode is Agnes Ngetich: the 10,000m world record holder on the road, the reigning World Cross Country champion, and one of the most compelling athletes in distance running right now. She is 25 years old. She grew up in rural Kenya, lost her father to cancer at 10, and spent much of her adolescence working on farms and carrying bags of charcoal to help feed her family. She missed school to earn money. She showed up to race barefoot and hungry anyway.

A coach named Ruth Bundotich saw something in her at 14 and opened a door. From that point, the progression has been relentless: junior titles in Kenya, an African Championships silver, a World U20 bronze, and then the slow build toward the longer distances where she now lives.

In 2024 in Valencia, she ran 28:46 for 10 kilometers on the road — the first woman ever under 29 minutes — a record she had to earn three times: once on a course that turned out to be 25 meters short, once in atrocious weather in Lille where she fell eight seconds shy, and finally in Valencia where it was made official. In January 2026, she won the World Cross Country title in Tallahassee by 42 seconds — the second-largest winning margin in the history of the event.

Last weekend here in New York, she came back after getting hypothermia at the United NYC Half in March and ran a course record 30:07 at the Mini 10K, blasting the first mile in 4:47 and pulling away from Hellen Obiri before the race was even a kilometer in.

In this conversation that we recorded while she was in town, we dive into her childhood, the coach who changed her life, getting to the point of running world records, her World Cross Country dominance, what she thinks of the marathon and more.

____________

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠@chris_j_chavez⁠

Guest: Agnes Ngetich | @jebet.agnes

Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | ⁠@jasminefehr⁠

____________

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

XENDURANCE: Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

VELOUS: VELOUS makes recovery footwear designed to help runners bounce back faster between sessions. Their sandals feature Tri-Motion™ Technology: a technical three-density foam system and contoured footbed engineered to cushion impact, support your arches, and help your toes stretch and relax on every step. Run. Recover. Repeat. with VELOUS! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 20% off your VELOUS order with code CITIUSMAG20 at checkout including FREE Shipping!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OLIPOP: Raspberry Sherbet is a limited-edition, nostalgic new flavor that blends tangy raspberry with creamy vanilla. Every can of Olipop contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠