This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
Published on September 25, 2019, a group of 20 tourists from Spain arrived in Nairobi, destined for Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet. Their mission was to observe how world-beating Kenyan athletes conduct their training sessions.
Iten, known for its high altitude, is one of the best places to train and is home to thousands of athletes who reside there as they prepare for various competitions, including the World Championships.
Among the visitors were American athletes, including World 5,000 meters silver medallist Paul Chelimo, who were training in the region ahead of their assignment in Doha. The group also included members of the Spain-based Tigers Running Club, who were touring the Maasai Mara Game Reserve but wanted to see first-hand how Kenyan athletes train for races.
On Tuesday, the group had the chance to watch world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge during training. Kipchoge will be attempting to run under two hours in a project dubbed “INEOS 1:59 Challenge” in Vienna, Austria on October 12.
"I'm happy to see how Kenyans train hard for various competitions. I came purposely to see them training and they inspire me a lot," said Paula Cobo, a long distance athlete.
Augustino Rubio, a coach who travelled to Kenya with the group, said: "We have a training camp back at home and we came to see how athletes train in Kenya. The weather is perfect and it's good for training and our joy is to see how the world record holder is preparing to write history in Vienna next month."
