Peter Kamais (born 7 November 1976) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running events.
He was the winner at the Oeiras International Cross Country and Almond Blossom Cross Country races in 2006,[1] but it was at the Cursa de Bombers 10K where he established himself, taking consecutive wins in 2006 and 2007. He knocked almost a minute of the course record in 2006 as he crossed the line with a time of 27:29 minutes.[2]
In 2009, he came seventh at the Berlin Half Marathon,[3] going on to win at the Paderborn Easter Run, and then running one of the fastest times of the year at the Tilburg 10K, which he won in 27:09 minutes.[4] [5] This ranked him as the fourth fastest ever over the distance at the time.[6]
He upset the predictions for the 2010 New York City Half Marathon, taking the men's title with his first time under an hour (59:53 minutes) and beating opposition including Haile Gebrselassie and Moses Kigen Kipkosgei.[7] Kamais came second to Gebre Gebremariam at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park in May.[8] He was invited to the 2010 New York City Marathon later that year and he completed his debut over the distance with a time of 2:14:59 hours for twelfth place.[9] He returned to the New York Half in March 2011, but a clash with Galen Rupp upset his run and he ended the race in fifth place.[10] He repeated that placing at the 2011 Beijing Marathon and set a personal best time of 2:12:58 hours in the process.[11]
Kamis set a new personal best time in the 2012 Xiamen International Marathon, winning the race in a course record of 2:07:37.[12]