It's time to tie those shoes as Iten race draws nearer

Clement Lang'at warming up after morning long run in Iten,Elgeyo Marakwet County on Tuesday,22,2022. [Chrsitopher Kipsang,Standard]

For athletes training in Elgeyo Marakwet, the inaugural Iten international marathon is a race brought home - where on a daily basis, they endure a punishing high altitude and occasionally, chilly weather conditions as they go on with their training sessions.

On Sunday, road racers training in Iten and other camps such as Kapsait and Kaptagat alongside hundreds of compatriots from other counties and foreign athletes, will be eying the marathon's Sh1 million winning prize, and pride of winning at home to boot.

Iten-based athletes have conquered countless road races locally and globally and the world's attention will shift to the town which in 2019, was honored with the World Athletics' plaque for its outstanding contribution in shaping athletics.

Athletes who are preparing to take part in the marathon say the Sunday marathon will be a display of splendid running talents, tactics and endurance.

Janeth Kiptoo, 26, who placed 15 at the 2021 edition of the Istanbul Marathon and was 10th at the Standard Chartered Nairobi marathon on October 30, is preparing to be part of history makers at the foundational Iten race.

"This is one of the races that you have to prepare well because everyone is good. I have had to change my training programme and I am now running 25km daily. The training has to be hard because I need to keep improving," Kiptoo told Standard Sport.

She said the hilly course and high altitude racing has forced her to change her training programme.

"The hilly nature of the course might be an advantage to me and other athletes who train in hard courses. I finished 15th last year in Istanbul and 10th at the Standard Chartered Nairobi marathon (2:35:01), and that is an improvement for me. I am looking forward to an improved position now that a marathon has been brought home," Kiptoo said.

Kiptoo has been building her speed work and endurance for the past one month, ahead of the race billed to position Iten as the home of (athletics) champions.

Bernard Kipsang Chumba, with a 1:03:29 half marathon Personal Best which he wrote in Firenze, Italy in 2015 and a 29:36 in 10km, is also eying glory in Iten.

The 34-year-old former track (3, 000m and steeplechase) athlete has been training in Iten for the last decade, and he targets a marathon breakthrough in 42km on Sunday.

"I had planned to take part in the Kakamega Forest Marathon last month, but I had to shelve my ambitions and continued with preparations for Iten International Marathon," Chumba said.

"This will be the first international marathon in Iten, where I have been training for years. The challenge is that, Iten has many strong athletes, who train so hard. On Sunday morning when we assemble at the start line, each one of us will be a winner, but one athlete in each category will cross the line first."