He finished second at the 2007 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon by running 59:13 minutes, being beaten only by Samuel Wanjiru who set the world record (58:53) at the same race.

Rain dampened the prospect of a record but Makau out-sprinted Mutai at the finish to clock 2:05:08 and win his first World Marathon Major.

[10] Makau ran in the 2011 London Marathon and, in spite of a fall at the halfway point, he continued and was narrowly beaten into third at the line by Martin Lel, finishing with a time of 2:05:45.

[11] At the Berlin Marathon on 25 September 2011, Makau was set to duel against Haile Gebrselassie, the world record holder from Ethiopia.

[15] He was the pre-race favourite for the Granollers Half Marathon in February, but lost in a sprint finish to Carles Castillejo under cold weather conditions.

[16] He ran at the 2012 London Marathon but dropped out mid-race due to injury and was not selected for the Olympic team.