By Jonathan Komen
At exactly 5:45am this Sunday, the stars will have gathered in Kapsabet ready to clash in the most spectacular fashion imaginable.
And minutes later, the tall lean runners will begin a brilliant battle at the sixth Kass Marathon at the starting point near Kapsabet town.
Geoffrey Mutai, the fastest marathoner on the planet with unofficial 2:03.02 personal best, began his 42-kilometre wins during its inaugural race in 2007.
After rocking the athletics world, Mutai went ahead to groom the best road running talent near his home.
And on Sunday, he will be out extending his olive hand to upcoming marathon runners in his rural home.
“This is my way of giving back to the community. And I am happy that, just within a short period of time, it has borne some fruits,” Mutai said last Sunday in Eldoret.
He went on: “After seven years of training and competing in half marathons that include Mt Kilimanjaro 21km, Kass Marathon finally emerged as a window of opportunity. I competed struggling to finish in top ten but was surprised to return in second position. I met my manger Gerard Van de Veen at the finish line”
majors crown
This was barely after he received Sh42.5 million World Marathon Majors crown in New York.
“When I compete in the major marathons like Boston, New York and Berlin, I always think of Kass Marathon. That’s why I refer to it as my ‘ marathon parent’. I borrowed money to register in Kass Marathon.”
He was the first person to win both the Boston and New York marathons in a year.
