Editing Edith Masai (section)

==Career==
===Early life===

Masai was born in [[Chepkoya]] village, [[Mount Elgon District]]. She is the third born from a family of four. She competed during her high school days while at Kibuk Secondary School. She graduated in 1988. She joined [[Kenya Prisons]] Service in 1990, known for recruiting many talented athletes. Masai did not, however, achieve anything until 1999, when she became the national cross-country champion, at the age of 32. Consequently, she started training more seriously.<ref>Daily Nation, 16 June 2007: [http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=5&newsid=100389 Ageless Masai makes grade for Osaka]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She won the [[Lotto Cross Cup Brussels]] in 2001 and went on to take bronze in the short race at the [[2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships|World Cross Country Championships]] that year. She improved upon this the following year, taking the gold at the [[2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships]].

=== International career ===

Masai holds the 3000 metres [[List of African records in athletics|African record]] set in July 2002 in [[Monaco]]<ref>IAAF: [http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/recbycat/location=O/recordtype=AR/event=0/age=N/area=AFR/sex=W/records.html African record in Athletics]</ref>

She won a bronze medal at the [[2003 World Championships in Athletics|2003 World Championships]]. In 2004, she failed at the Kenyan trials for the Olympics, but since she was one of only three Kenyans who had beaten the Olympic "A"-qualifying time in women's 5000 metres that year, she was offered a place on the team. Masai herself initially rejected the offer, but joined the team after lengthy negotiations. At the Olympics she dropped out after suffering a hamstring injury.<ref name="focus">{{Cite web|url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/athletes/newsid=26840.html|title=IAAF: News {{!}} iaaf.org|website=iaaf.org|access-date=2018-05-03}}</ref> She made her [[marathon]] debut at the age of 38, but gave a confident first performance, clocking 2:27:06 to win the 2005 [[Hamburg Marathon]].<ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29223.html Masai wins debut and Rey is just short of course record – Hamburg Marathon]. [[IAAF]] (24 April 2005). Retrieved 2010-04-26.</ref>

She finished fifth at the [[2005 World Championships in Athletics - Women's 10,000 metres|10,000 metres race]] at the [[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005 World Championships]] in [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]]. Her time, 30:30.26 was a new [[List of Kenyan records in athletics|Kenyan record]].<ref name="splendid">Thefinalsprint.com, 22 July 2007: [http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2007/07/splendid-world-masters-10000m-record-for-masai Splendid World Masters 10,000m Record for Masai] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902175933/http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2007/07/splendid-world-masters-10000m-record-for-masai/ |date=2 September 2007 }}</ref> The record was beaten by [[Linet Masai]] at the 2008 Olympics, who run 30:26.50.<ref>IAAF, 15 August 2008: [http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/news/kind=100/newsid=46668.html Dibaba smashes Olympic 10,000m record as two dip under 30 minutes!]</ref>

Masai has since been shifting from track running to marathon. She won [[Hamburg Marathon]] in 2005 and participated it also in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, she won [[Berlin Half Marathon]], setting the fastest half marathon run that year, 1:07:16 minutes. It was also a personal best and a course record. She also set a new 5000 metres Kenyan record of 14:33.84 minutes.<ref>IAAF, 28 December 2006: [http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=37103.html 2006 - End of Year Reviews – Road Running and Race Walks]</ref>

She won 10,000 metres silver medal at the [[Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games|2007 All-Africa Games]]. Her time, 31:31.18 is a new World record for women over 40 years old. The previous record was held by [[Nicole Lévêque]] of [[France]], who run 32:12.07 in Helsinki in 1994.<ref name="splendid"/> Masai participated the [[2007 World Championships in Athletics - Women's marathon|2008 World championships marathon]] in [[Osaka]], [[Japan]], finishing 8th in a race won by her compatriot [[Catherine Ndereba]].

Masai won the 2008 [[Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon]].<ref>IAAF website, 31 August 2008: [http://www.iaaf.org/WHM08/news/kind=100/newsid=47441.html Kwambai and Masai win Rock ‘n' Roll Half Marathon]</ref> She won [[Singapore Marathon]] in December 2008.<ref>Xinhua News Agency, 7 December 2008: [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/07/content_10468443.htm Kenyan runners rule Singapore Marathon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210114144/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/07/content_10468443.htm |date=10 December 2008 }}</ref> she broke up with her agent [[Dorothee Paulmann]].<ref name="focus"/> in 2007 and worked independently.

She currently lives in [[Ngong and Kitale]]. She coaches the Kenya Prisons Cross Country team. She is a divorced mother of one, her son Paul Griffin Sakit born in 1992 who ran for Louisiana Tech University. Masai retired from competitive running in early 2010 because of a knee injury.