Eliud Kipchoge & Brigid Kosgei’s Big Wins in the 2019 London Marathon Affirm Kenya’s Dominance in Mid and Long Distance Track Events
(By Imelda Ndomo)
In a country where academic qualification is a predominant determinant of career opportunities, athletics stands out as a national pursuit in Kenya and defies this norm; providing many Kenyan youth with a pathway to careers, not only as athletes but also corporate careers – whilst playing a critical role in the respective corporates’ public image through representation in various tournaments and sports leagues.
Today, more Kenyans pursue careers in athletics than ever before; and whilst the world gets to see and celebrate Kenyan talents making a mark on the international tracks with as much regularity as there are World Marathon majors and Championship meets, the drive and aspiration here at home is much larger than gets to be seen on the world stage. Kenya’s heroes have to first of all overcome fierce competition here at home before earning the coveted spots to represent the nation on the world stage at such meets as the Olympics and other international competitions.
Thus Kenya’s performance in Sunday, 28th April’s London marathon while exemplary – winning 1st place in both the men’s and women’s categories, was no surprise feat.
Year after year, competition after competition, Kenya continues to emanate fields of great talent; each one with their sights set on the coveted spot to represent the nation and claim the glory of competition; and with great tenacity have time and again shrugged off the pressure of expectations at home and from the world and prevailed over the competition.
Athletics Kenya is responsible for the management of athletics in Kenya, formed in 1950 as ‘Kenya Amateur Athletics Association’ with Kenya first winning Olympic gold in the 1968 games in Mexico, where Naftali Temu won gold in the 10000m race; and Kipchoge Keino won gold in the 1,500m and 5,000m races. And since then, Kenya has produced more record holders and Olympic medalists in long and middle distance track events than any other country.
Inevitably, there has come to be great fascination around the world with Kenya’s athletic talent. Is there a secret to it all? Well, a secret it is no more, as Kenya today welcomes athletes in droves from all over the world, professional and amateur alike to train alongside her heroes at her athletics capital – Iten, located in Elgeyo Marakwet County, aptly dubbed “The home of champions” – a vast majority of Kenya’s track heroes call this place home.
Reigning 10,000m world champion, the UK’s Mohammed Farrah who has enjoyed remarkable success on the 10000m and 5000m tracks over Kenyan competition, has visited for training, as have countless other professionals and multitudes of amateurs.
Iten is a scenic small town located 349km from the capital, Nairobi; an approximately 6 hour journey by road and 36km from Eldoret town which is a 25 minute flight from Nairobi. Lying at a high altitude of 2400m/7900m, Iten is characteristically picturesque, with the dominant land feature being the Kerio escarpment and offering views of scenic Cherangani and Tugen Hills further on. The climate is temperate, with typically cool evenings.
Owing to the topography and wind speeds averaging 20km/h which make for great flying conditions, Iten is also one of the region’s leading paragliding destinations, with the main launch point next to Kerio View Hotel, and landing nearby at the shelf 300m below.
Go on and make Iten your next adventure stop!
