Peter Maru

Maru was the third child in a poor family of eight children.[3] Originally an association football player, Maru's athletics career started in the 800 metres, and he did not start running the 1500 metres until February of 2021.[4] One of the reasons he started running was to fund his schooling – he did not complete his education at Saint John's Chebwik Secondary School because his parents could not afford his bills.[4] Maru trained in Kapchorwa, where he said the lack of sprinters to train with prompted his moving up in distance.[4]

Maru's first international championship was at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships – Men's 1500 metres, where he qualified for the finals and finished 5th.[3] He attributed his performance to the lack of a coach and his recent change of disciplines from the 800 m.[4] Following his performance, Maru sought out a college scholarship in the United States but settled for being signed with a management company that placed him in the training camp of Jacob Kiplimo.[3] On New Year's Eve of 2021, Maru was the runner-up in Berihu Aregawi's world record-breaking 5K run in Barcelona.[5]

In 2022, Maru saw further success in the 5000 metres, qualifying to compete in that event at the 2022 World Championships.[6] Maru finished 14th in his qualifying heat, and did not advance to the finals.[3] He blamed "fatigue" for not advancing, claiming he landed in Eugene, Oregon just two days before the race, in the "longest trip of [his] life".[3]

At the 2022 World U20 Championships in the 5000 m, Maru finished 9th in the finals.[1]

In 2024, Maru enrolled as a freshman at the Arkansas Razorbacks track and field team. He ran 13:17.86 to break the school record in his 5000 m debut at the Valentine Invitational in February.[7] He finished 5th in the 5000 m at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships.[2] This result came despite sustaining a hamstring injury with 400 m remaining.[8]

• Peter Maru at World Athletics