Shadrack Kipchirchir is the son of John and Rosa Tirop and is the middle child of nine children. Kipchirchir was born in Kenya and moved to the United States to attend college at Western Kentucky University then transferred to Oklahoma State University. He earned All-American honors in his second year at Western Kentucky. Kipchirchir became an American citizen in 2010. Just as his brothers had before him, Kipchirchir enlisted in the U.S. Army in October of 2014 and joined the U.S. World Class Athlete Program after. He serves as a financial management technician in the military. Kipchirchir also assisted with the Red Cross.