| Margaret Okayo | |
| Birth Date: | 30 May 1976 |
| Birth Place: | Masaba, Kisii District, Kenya |
| Height: | 1.51 m |
| Country: | Kenya |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Event: | Marathon |
| Pb: | 2:22:35 (London 2004) |
Margaret Okayo (born 30 May 1976) is a professional Kenyan marathon runner. She has won four World Marathon Majors with victories in the New York City Marathon (two times), the Boston Marathon and the London Marathon, setting three course records. Okayo's 2003 New York course record of 2:22:31 still stands today, despite the challenge of some of the world’s best distance runners having the benefit of improved shoe technology.[1] She has also won the San Diego Marathon on two occasions.
Margaret Okayo started running while at primary school. She graduated from the Itierio Secondary School, located near Kisii town, in 1993. She was recruited by Kenya Prisons Service, home to the country's top women's marathon runners, in 1995 where she nurtured her running career.[2]
At the 1998 Commonwealth Games she finished fifth in 10,000 metres. She finished thirteenth at the 1999 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
Amongst her most successful races are the wins at the New York Marathon in 2001 and 2003, the Boston Marathon in 2002 and the London Marathon in 2004. She still holds the course records at the New York Marathon and the Boston Marathon.
Other marathons won by Okayo include Milan in 2003, San Diego in 2000 and 2001. She represented her native Kenya in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, but did not finish the marathon. She spends three months of every year training in Italy.
She won the 2003 Udine Half Marathon and finished third at the 2008 Rome-Ostia Half Marathon.[3] [4]
Okayo is of the Gusii tribe. She is managed by Federico Rosa and coached by Gabriele Rosa.
| 1999 | Chicago, IL, United States | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 2:26:00 | |
| 2000 | San Diego, CA, United States | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 2:27:05 | |
| New York, NY, United States | 3rd | 2:26:36 | |||
| 2001 | San Diego, CA, United States | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 2:25:05 | |
| New York, NY, United States | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 2:24:21 | ||
| 2002 | Boston, MA, United States | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 2:20:43 | |
| Milan Marathon | Milan, Italy | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 2:24:59 | |
| 2003 | Boston Marathon | Boston, MA, United States | 4th | 2:27:39 | |
| New York, NY, United States | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 2:22:31 | ||
| 2004 | London, United Kingdom | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 2:22:35 | |
| Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | - | DNF | ||
| New York, NY, United States | 4th | 2:26:31 | |||
| 2005 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 4th | 2:25:22 | |
| 2006 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 9th | 2:29:16 |