Plans for World cross country Tour in Eldoret take shape

In February 2019, Eldoret became the first town outside Nairobi, to host the national cross country championships, an event that electrified North Rift - a region considered the 'mecca of athletics'.

The event, two years ago at the Eldoret Sports Club, was hailed as one of the meticulously planned and executed competitions in the history of Kenyan cross-country.

And it is only three months away before the town, christened The City of Champions, due to the large number of athletics stars it has produced, hosts the Kenyan leg of the inaugural World Cross Country Tour in February.

It will be a double for Eldoret as, apart from the World cross country Tour, the town will for the second time, host the national cross country championships in January, just days to the World athletics event.

The February 12 Tour comes at a time when most of sporting activities in the country have resumed.

Chairman of the WA cross country Tour, Paul Mutwii confirmed that it had identified The Lobo Village as the venue for the one-day event.

The Kenyan leg, according to the World Athletics, is named cross country Classic, Eldoret. It will be the final edition of the cross-country tours.

Yesterday, Eldoret was readying to stage the global show, with the Lobo Village, a serene resort located 8km from the Central Business District being prepared in earnest. The proposed venue was a hive of activity.

The village that has been hosting weddings and family events is owned by legendary athlete Ibrahim Hussein, who is also the 2021 New York Road Runners (NYRR) Hall of Fame inductee.

On one side of the village, is an eatery with two scenic ponds and then there is the green area, which will be the cross country Tour course.

“Manicuring and lawn mowing is ongoing. We are progressing well in our preparations. The technical teams from AK have been frequenting the course for days now,” Jamal Kipchirchir, who is supervising the preparations on behalf of his father Ibrahim Hussein, told Standard Sport.

“We are expecting a huge number of fans, and we must get it right. The technical team is identifying where to place the barriers.”