Sports Tourism: Foreigners flock Iten for more than just training

Sebastian Uridat [Photo: Gloria Ihavi]

When German long-distance runner Sebastian Uridat first visited Kenya in 2012, it was to train in the high-altitude region of Longonot.

Although he did not exactly plan on returning, he has found himself coming back every year since.

Uridat is however not entirely surprised that he fell in love with Kenya.

He recounts one of his Kenyan friends telling him on his first visit, “When you come to Kenya once, you always come back”.

Uridat now stays in the country for at least three weeks each year, practising in the world-famous town of Iten, which is unapologetically christened “Home of Champions”.

Over the past few years, the country has gained popularity as a highly suitable training ground, particularly among endurance athletes.

Located in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, the small town of Iten has a population just slightly above 40,000.

As one enters the modest running community, they are greeted with a humble red structure arching above the road, bearing the colours of the national flag and the words, “WELCOME TO ITEN HOME OF CHAMPIONS”, lest visitors mistake it for another unremarkable Kenyan town.

In more recent times, the town has been thrust into the international limelight for being home to dozens of Olympic champions and World Record holders, some from the renowned St. Patrick's Iten, a boys' school reputed for coaching athletic talent.

It is this town’s winning streak, coupled with the area’s high altitude of 2400 metres above sea level that has made it a top choice for athletes seeking glory.

[Photo: Gloria Ihavi]

The emergence of Iten as a powerhouse amongst athletes has however been long in the making and certainly did not begin with the athletic success of the community’s natives, such as Abel Kiprop and David Rudisha.

It was in 1968, during the controversy-filled Mexico Summer Olympics, when the highly questioned choice to hold the Olympics in the high-altitude country led to dismal performances by top athletes but proved to be a turning point for Kenya.

Many participants were from low-altitude countries and faced difficulty adjusting to running in the high-altitude city.

However, ‘Kipchoge Keino, who was pretty much unknown by then, beat Jim Ryun, who had until then, stood undefeated for three years.

Keino achieved this feat despite running to the stadium and enduring intense pain from gallstones. 

And so the narrative that high altitude training helps endurance athletes perform better began, leading to studies that confirmed this notion.

Soon afterwards, many athletes resorted to training in highly elevated areas. Today, more than six decades later, high altitude training has gained ground and Iten is one of the most favoured locations, not just in Kenya but also internationally. Other notable training spots in the country include Ngong, Kaptagat, Kapsabet and Longonot.

It is indeed interesting that many foreign athletes flock to Iten to train, year in, year out, despite the existence of similarly high altitude regions in countries like Mexico, the United States and Ethiopia.

Uridat indicates that Kenya is special. “I train mostly in Germany, Mexico and Kenya, but of the three, I prefer Kenya,” Uridat indicates, adding,”Iten is the best place to train because of the wide variety of routes and also because athletes can train with many other athletes in different groups, which helps to maintain focus”. 

“In Mexico, I can only run for six or seven kilometres in one lap, but here, in Iten, I can run for 20 to 25 kilometres in one lap, because of the long routes”. However, he says he likes Mexican people and food, which are some of the reasons he enjoys training in Mexico.

Kenyan food also plays a big role in attracting athletes who want to train in the country.

Uridat, like many other athletes training in Kenya, has developed a liking for Kenyan staples such as ‘ugali’ and ‘githeri’. He explains, “Kenya’s diet is mainly carbohydrate-based, so it gives you strength to run”.

In Ethiopia, there is less accommodation for those seeking to train in the high altitude regions, unlike in Kenya where the high altitude region is sprawling with training centres such as Olympic Champion Lornah Kiplagat’s High Altitude Training Centre (HATC).

Those training can also get accommodation at resorts such as Kerio View Hotel and Too Guesthouse. These resorts and other businesses associated with the influx of athletes coming to train are starting to deliver on their promise of revolutionizing Iten's economy.

“Another reason I don’t train in Ethiopia is because of the language barrier,” states Uridat, adding that communication is a big problem in some parts where not many locals speak English.

Training in Iten is made easier by the fact that even locals can speak a bit of English, easing communication for foreigners.

Cost is also a major issue that prompts many athletes, especially Europeans to train in Kenya.

In Kenya, the athletes can train all year round but in Europe, the training time is limited to summer.

Although training during winter is possible at certain training resorts, the cost implication leads many athletes to seek out other more economically viable training spots like Iten.

The simple way of life and scenic views of Iten also endear to many sportsmen practising in Iten.

Dr. Masibo Lumala, the Director of Tourism Research Institute (TRI) Board acknowledges that sports tourism is breathing new life into the tourism sector. “We are now investing in other forms of tourism such as sports tourism and conference tourism,” says Dr. Lumala.

Dr. Lumala further remarks that traditional forms of tourism, which have been marked by tourists coming for beaches and safaris have been overplayed and exhausted, which is why new innovative forms of tourism are exceedingly viable.

Since the late 1990s, tourism has been on a steady decline. However, since the onset of 2016, the sector is undergoing a revival, thanks to these new forms of tourism.

According to the Kenyan Economic Outlook for 2017, published by auditing firm Deloitte, recovery in the tourism sector is the main factor that propelled the rise in GDP from 5.6 percent in 2015 to 5.8 percent in 2016.

The report further notes that conference tourism was a major motivator, with Kenya playing host to more than 200 high-profile international conferences in 2016 alone, cementing the country’s position as a conferencing destination.

As conference and sports tourism continue to grow through training and sporting events like Camel Derby, Lewa Marathon and Safari Sevens, so does the economy.

This year, for instance, high returns are expected after the government invested more than Sh 2.6 billion in establishment and renovations of facilities at Kenyatta University and Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani, ahead of the much anticipated IAAF World U18 Championships to be held in July.

Still, Dr. Lumala acknowledges that there is still great untapped potential in the new forms of tourism. “The way we handle these elections will be important,” admits Dr. Lumala, stressing “As long as we can have peaceful elections, the industry will keep rising”.