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Shoe race Iten groot succes
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Geplaatst op:
2006-01-07 17:08 |
Shoe4Africa-- A NYC notion runs to Kenya
Doris Changeywo wint de wedstrijd
The Village Of Iten, Kenya, is famed for its athletic excellence. Such luminaries as Henry Rono (4 times world record holder), Wilson Kipketer (world record 800m), and Ibrahim Hussein (3 times Boston Champion) all served their apprenticeship on the soft red dirt roads that surround this high altitude paradise perched on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. St Patricks is the principal school in the area -- an establishment that boasts better middle/distance records than the majority of the worlds countries, and the legendary coach Brother Colm O‘Connell has lived here since 1976, “Wouldn‘t ever leave!” He beams with good reason. It ‘was the wolrds best running secret, but now Iten is becoming the Running center of the globe.
Langerhorst
On Friday 06th of January a new concept was brought to the sleepy streets of village: a day of womens wellness based on the New York Road Runner‘s Mini. It is rare indeed to spot a recreational runner on the roads, the first gym (High Altitude Multi-sports Centre) was just opened on the 19th of December, and sadly the life expectancy age of Kenyans hovers at a frightening low of 50-years. Simply put the activity of running is only a career/business to Kenyans.The Dutch couple of Pieter Langerhorst and Lornah Kiplagat have invested heavily in Iten after building a training camp/gym for the athletes based on a philanthropic structure. And following their trip to the ING New York City Marathon last November they teamed up with a Shoe4Africa founder (a charitable program that assists African athletes) Toby Tanser and decided to put on a peoples race. “Lets assist the ones who arent snapped up by the managers,” was Tansers idea, “The athletes who really need the support.” Kiplagat was recently lauded by her namesake (no relation) Isaiah Kiplagat, head of the Kenyan Athletics Federation, as being “One of only two Kenyan female athletes who have made a substantial return to the motherland.” And Langerhorst has been there each step of the way with Lornah. The idea, concocted at a Starbucks on 57th ST was predestined to succeed, even though the race directors had given themselves two months to complete the task.
Niet zo maar een wedstrijd
The Shoe4Africa 10k run and the 2km Health Walk aimed to promote running as a participation sport to better ones health and bring awareness to the inhabitants of the area. The town outdid itself as thirty police cars, ambulances, and a galaxy of star-studded spectators lined the route for what would be Kenyas richest prize purse for a road race. Former World Steeplechase Champion Christopher Kosgei (Seville 99) stood with his brother Abraham Cherono (Commonwealth Silver 02) by the road shaking his head, “I have never seen women of this age dressed in sporting clothes in Kenya before!” He exclaimed. Hilary Limo, the district health officer, used the day to promote AIDS consciousness and hand out instructional information, “When the children see the running stars they are more receptive to listening about health,” he glowed. Standing yards away was Stephen (Shaheen) Cherono, the current world champion and record holder.
The Health walk
The day kicked off with the 2km health walk, the first of its kind in Kenya. Two hundred and forty-two women dressed in matching pink T-shirts of all body sizes stood in the road listening to an inspirational send off orated by Phyllis Keino (wife to Kip) who formed the Lewa Childrens Orphanage. Susan Sirma, the first ever African women to win a medal at the world track & field championships (1991 Tokyo 3000) was among one of the many celebrities walking, “Ten days ago I lost all my possessions in a house fire, today I start again.” She said later after picking up a pair of shoes at the post race raffle. “I came just for the free shirt, but today I walked with Lornah and she encouraged me to start a little walking each day,” told Esther Cherono after completing the walk. Each entrant on the day was given a free T-shirt and free entry -- over 25% of the field either won money or a raffle award!
Dames 10 k
The principal event of the day was the womens 10k race. Although the times would be slow, with the altitude, heat (25-Celsius), high gusts of over 30-mph, and a very hilly course (Iten means Hill Iten), the line up was nothing less than spectacular. The idea of the race was to attract the up and coming athletes in the area, yet at least twenty athletes with national credentials were standing on the starting line. Silvia Jebiwott Kibet exemplified the spirit of the event, “I won the world juniors silver 1500 a few years ago and had given up, but when I heard about this race giving out money to the ‘second tier I thought -- let me try!” Silvia would finish eighth.Ezekiel Kemboi, the reigning Olympic Steeplechase champion and Kenya‘s only gold medallist from Athens, was the celebrity invited to start the event, and 162 runners (402 with the walk for the days total) stormed off with Mercy Kosgei, the African Junior silver medallist at 3000m leading the way.
Harde wind
Due to extreme winds the pack remained bunched with experienced marathoners such as Edna Kiplagat and Judith Kiplimo (2:28) close at her heels. It was not until eight kilometers when a decisive break was made when Doris Changeywo of the High Altitude Multi-sports Training Center (where the race would finish) made a powerful surge. Doris was last years East African Senior Cross Country Champion and was making her debut on the roads, “I was fearing the tarmac, I am better on the cross. My focus is on Fukuoka in April (35:45).” Last year she was fourth at the Kenyan Nationals cross-country. Second across the line was Sharon Cherop, a bronze medallist at the world juniors (36:02), and third place was taken by Caroline Kiptoo who sports a 31-minute 10k PR and is a prolific race winner in Europe. Kemboi, who is training for the Commonwealth games in Melbourne Australia, begged the organizers for an ancillary mens race at the second edition of the competition, “I want to run for Shoe4Africa too,” he said after sitting in the pace car.The last to scoop up the open prize money, 20th place, was a Zimbabwean athlete, Sharon Tavengwa, who flew all the way from South Africa the day prior to the race, arriving in the middle of the night six hours before the race started. “After 14-hours of travel you can say I was pleased to make the money.”
De twee Moses
The finishing tape was held by two sterling legends; Moses Kiptanui (first sub-8 steeplechase, multi-world record holder, and three times world champion), and Moses Tanui, two times world champion, former world record holder, and two times Boston winner). Tanui, overwhelmed at the numbers retorted, “This is bold, imagine, the race is held on a weekday, what would have happened if the event was held at the weekend -- this is amazing for Kenya. There would have been double this number.” Kiptanui, although bogged down by flu, stayed at the finish until the very last competitor had crossed the line, “I really hope this event will be the start of foreigners getting interested in helping this part of the world. We are glad for any assistance.”
Moeder Kiplagat
At the awards ceremony held in a packed field fast runners such as Lameck Aguta (Boston 97 champ), Timothy Cherigat (Boston 04 Champ), Martin Keino, Chris Cheboiboch (Rock n Roll 05 Champ) and a host of others mingled with the young athletes and watched as over fifty raffle prizes of merchandise were handed out before the 20-cash prizes, but the days biggest cheers came for the three special awards -- a years sponsorship of athletic wear to the first non-sponsored athlete (Alison Ruto 5th), the $50 youngest competitor went to Flasta Jerotich (one of three four year olds who is now possibly the youngest ever Kenyan to win prize money), and last but not least, the oldest competitor -- Kobilo Rebecca Kiplagat, 72-years, who is coincidentally the mother to Lornah Kiplagat, the world half marathon silver medallist from last October. Raucous chants of ‘Kogo, Kogo (Grandma, grandma) were yelled in respect as the smiling grandmother came forward to collect her reward.
Toby Tanser
The race founder, and Runners World writer Toby Tanser said, “Two weeks prior to the day there was an annual race in the town, 120-men and only six women showed up. I was dreading the same turnout for us. Lornah told me not to worry; she was right. To have over 400-competitors was a dream come true, and the highlight of the day for me was seeing a stream of large sized women introduced to a sport that had never welcomed them before. As the sun set Pieter Langerhorst was already brewing the coffee and talking about the race date for the next event.
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