Real battle brewing: Athletes sharpen spikes ahead of Kass Marathon

By JONATHAN KOMEN

Athletes during a past Kass Marathon. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]

There has been an intense battle between three athletics-rich counties in the North Rift over the ‘home of champions’ tag.

But after fierce political mind games, Elgeyo Marakwet patented the name ‘Home of Champions’ outsmarting Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties who were claiming it. Uasin Gishu is ‘City of Champions’ while Nandi is the ‘Source of Champions’.

And the drawn out battle will be put to the test at the seventh Kass Marathon run on Sunday.

Elgeyo Marakwet will sponsor 100 athletes from the county, paying the Sh200 registration fee per athlete.

Shadrack Yatich, of the county executive committee of sports, said the battle for the ‘Home of Champions’ name will count for nothing.

“There will be no love lost here. When you combine the three names — home, source and city — you produce exceptional champions,” Yatich told FeverPitch in Eldoret yesterday.

The Kass race — which thrives on a unique blend of athletes and a rich history — promises a cocktail of hope and tantalising intrigue, as it always does. Millions of fans will follow the action live on KTN.

inter-city race

The race will be staged for the first time since the devolved county government units were established and will twin Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties, making it an inter-county race.

The race, which is often billed as the goose that lays Kenya’s golden marathon egg, attracts more than 50,000 fans that line up on the sidelines of the Eldoret-Kapsabet Road.

The contest, incidentally, offers a clear picturesque view of major big city marathons in the world, where Kenyans continue to rule the roost.

budding athletes

The Kass Marathon, which is the only media sponsored race, has emerged as the playing ground for athletic talent to flourish, where budding athletes are nurtured and sent on to conquer the world.

As usual, Eldoret Town will be choking with humanity as a mix of untested runner’s battle the local elites and foreigners in the chase for the Sh1.5 million prize money — and, at best, a bonus for the first foreign athlete to cross the line.

The high-stakes Kass Marathon, which is the only media-sponsored marathon in the world, has certainly curved out a niche by producing trailblazers in world marathons.

Geoffrey Mutai, who posted the world’s fastest unofficial time of 2:03.02 in Boston last year, finished second at the inaugural Kass Marathon showdown in 2007.

It was particularly sweet victory for Mutai as he was spotted by his Dutch manager Gerard Van de Veen of Volare Sports during the race.

The 30-year-old Mutai points out: “Although the Kass Marathon proved tough to many runners, I found it easy since I had trained in the hilly areas of Kapng’etuny. The race paid dividends because I met my manager Gerard Van de Veen. We agreed on terms and he began to organise races for me. I am calling athletes to run clean and avoid using drugs. Those who finish in the top five here stand a high chance of winning big races abroad. It is simply our home marathon,” Mutai said. — [email protected]