Athletes asked to prepare for tough Great Chepsaita Cross Country

The Great Chepsaita Cross Country Run Patron  Farouk Kibet (in white cap) with athletes during the launch of the 2025 edition of the event on September 4, 2025. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]

Organisers of the 2025 edition of the Great Chepsaita Cross Country Run have promised a thrilling contest.

The third edition of the World Athletics gold level cross country has been set for December 6, 2025, with huge expectations.

According to organisers, the masters categories will not feature in the programme this year.

Last year, Samwel Chebolei Masai and Loice Chekwemoi of Uganda were crowned winners.

Race chairman Barnaba Korir said the December 6 action which will be staged on the hills of Chepsaita in Uasin Gishu will be more competitive.

"We are proud of the previous edition. We have seen that we have had several races including Sirikwa Classic Cross Country and Kipkeino Classic Continental Tour and the local community has benefitted," Korir, who is the National Olympic Committee-Kenya (NOC-K) vice president said.

The scenic course, organisers said, has been slightly adjusted for a unique experience.

Athletes from different countries including Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Brunei, Burundi, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, South Africa and Somalia among others battled for the top honours.

The course's challenges and obstacles have been designed for a thrilling race, Korir said.

He said Running for Education remains the event's theme. "A holiday training camp was established as a result of the race," he said.

The event's technical official Ibrahim Hussein, described the course as natural, with no artificial obstacles.

Hussein, who is the first African to win Boston Marathon three times said the start and finish were not changed.

"For it to be a gold level we had to do everything right and we have ticked all the boxes. The course is one of the best in the world because it has a spectacular view. It is a natural course with natural obstacles designed by a reliable technical team," said Hussein.

The retired athlete said the gold-level cross-country show will be used to showcase the capacity of Kenya's technical officials.

Race patron Farouk Kibet said Sh20 million of the race's proceeds will be allocated for academic scholarships for children from vulnerable families in Turbo.

"It has been about nurturing young talents and we want to make it better for boys and girls so that they compete across the world," Kibet said.

He went on to say: "We want to combine education and running and this will happen when we build structures for talents to thrive."

The patron said this year's contest will likely be tough and would see active athletics stars battle for handsome prizes with legends watching on the sidelines.

"Two cross country athletes will be sponsored to compete in a global race," he added.

Athletics stars will be eying Sh750,000 winning prize money in the senior categories, a more than double compared to last year's Sh300,000 award top position.