Marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum had promised to buy his two children wristwatches and take them out for a family outing before perishing in a road accident.
According to Kiptum's wife, Asenath Jeruto, the children had spoken with their father on Sunday night at around 8 pm, hours before his death.
Jeruto revealed that the children had requested the wristwatches, a promise Kiptum pledged to fulfil once he returned home on Monday.
However, that did not materialise as his life was cut short when he passed away alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana along the Eldoret-Kaptagat Road.
On the other hand, the widow also revealed that Kiptum had promised to take the family out on Sunday, February 11. However, he was unable to meet with the family after experiencing a headache while training.
Jeruto asserted that the promises to the family were a sign of his love for his children, who she expressed were inseparable from their father.
"He loved his children so much and I do not know what I can even say to them. He was so loving and caring.
"He was working hard and sometimes I told him he trained too much and that when the time comes, he will be too tired. He would say it is fine and that he is supposed to go for 10 laps," Jeruto stated during a media interview after the accident.
Kiptum died at the age of 24, two months ahead of the Rotterdam Marathon in April where he eyed breaking the two-hour barrier in a marathon.
The long-distance athlete broke the Marathon record in October 2023 after clocking 2:00:35 in the Chicago Marathon.
His colleagues, the government and other global bodies expressed his demise as a great loss for the sporting industry as he was set to break more records in the future.
Meanwhile, the government and Kiptum's family are in discussions over burial details. Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba indicated that the state would offer him a befitting send-off, hinting at the possibility of a state funeral.
