This archive report was first published on 18 August 2019.
On a sunny Sunday, August 18, 2019, the 10th edition of the Safaricom Iten 10km road race took place in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County. The event saw Beijing Marathon champion Valary Aiyabei and Matthew Kimeli emerge victorious.
Aiyabei, who was defending her title, clocked 32:29.60 to take the top spot. Edith Chelimo came in second with a time of 32:34.50, while Dorcas Jepchirchir completed the podium in 32:50.70.
According to Aiyabei, she participated in the race to defend her title and as part of her training. She noted that the competition was stiff due to the strong field, which is why she had to run from the front to beat her opponents.
Aiyabei hinted at participating in one of the big marathons in either September or October, stating that she had been training for a marathon for the last three months and her target was to win her next race.
Matthew Kimeli, the newcomer, won the men's title after clocking 28:57.0. Edwin Kiprop came in second in 29:17.20, while Emmanuel Bor finished third in 29:21.20.
Kimeli, who is training under Brother Colm O'Connel, said that he was using the race to prepare for the Prague 10km road race in September. He expressed his confidence in his victory, stating that he was heading in the right direction and would be participating in the Prague 10km Road race next month where he wants to win.
