Gloria Kurgat

Bio

Gloria Kurgat is a distance runner hailing from rural Kenya. Her hometown of Iten in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya is listed as a World Athletics Heritage Landmark.

Kurgat attended Ole Tipis Girls Secondary School in Narok before making the long-distance move to Northwest Arkansas. 

Off the track, Kurgat is a polyglot and speaks fluent Swahili and French alongside English.

Spring 2026 - Track and Field

With seven PRs in one season across the 800-, 1500- and 5000-meter runs, Kurgat consistently improved across her freshman campaign on the track.

In the 800, Kurgat ran four times back-to-back and dropped from a 2:51.96 at the Hendrix Invitational to a 2:36.19 April 4 at the David Suenram Gorilla Classic. She also ran the 1500-meter event four times, starting with a 5:38.72 March 12 at the Dean Pryor Invite and cutting back to a 5:03.69 at the John McDonnell Invite April 24.

Kurgat excelled in the 5,000 meters, shaving more than a minute off her 20:15.1 PB on the cross country course. Her 19:22.06 April 4 gave way to a 19:02.57 May 9 on the same course at Pittsburg State University. 

Fall 2025 - Cross Country

After a blazing start to her college career, running a personal best 20:15.1 at the NWACC Season Opener Sept. 5, Kurgat used the early momentum to her advantage and became a model for consistency. She finished in the top 100 in all six events of the season and all of her 5k times in the regular season fell within 20 seconds of one another.

She finished 100th indivudually with a 22:05.3 at the NJCAA Division II National Championship and led the Eagles to a program-record finish of ninth as a team. She also placed fifth in the NJCAA Region 2 Championship, helping NWACC win its third region title in five seasons.

Fun Facts

Favorite athlete: Faith Kipyegon

Favorite food: Pilau