Today Sam Chelanga announced on Instagram that he will join the U.S. Army, putting an end to his professional running career.

Chelanga was an all-time NCAA great while at Liberty, winning four NCAA titles including back-to-back cross country wins. Chelanga became a U.S. citizen in 2015, and finished his career with personal bests of 7:45 for 3K, 13:04 for 5K, 27:08 for 10K, 60:37 for the half marathon and 2:15 in the marathon.

Many years ago,I was desperately looking for opportunities to help my family. I was then introduced to running by my brother and Paul Tergat. It was the biggest move ever in my life. Fast forward to today, I’m an NCAA record holder, multiple time NCAA and USATF national champion. I have had many opportunities to help my family and my village. I’m very grateful to God for leading me down this path. Yesterday’s #AJCPRR will be my last race as a pro runner. Beginning the end of this month, I will be joining the USA army to become a future officer. I’m excited for this new chapter. Thank you all for your support and for rooting for me! To God, my family and everyone, I love you all!!!#Proverbs3:6 ✌️

A post shared by  Sam Chelanga (@samchelanga) on Jul 5, 2018 at 7:46am PDT