This archive report was first published on 3 November 2019.
It all started when we watched Eliud Kipchoge's Ineos Challenge on live TV. We agreed that he was a good runner, but disagreed with the commentators that Kipchoge is the greatest marathoner ever.
Alphayo, a friend of ours, said, 'Huyu hafukuzwi, kama haufukuzwi hauwezi kimbia,' adding that he knows a good number of people who can run much faster and farther than Kipchoge only that they have never been given an opportunity to appear on TV. He gave an example of Nyayo, who was quite a runner in his heydays.
Nyayo used to lead in all zonal competitions and represent the school in many running competitions, going all the way to provincials. He said, 'If I had shoes, I wonder where I would have reached.' He also added, 'Ni mimi ningekua kwa TV saa hii.'
But Nyayo wasn't just a runner; he was also a great swimmer. He would swim in moving water, even in the overflowing and raging River Yala, which we call Lake Lukose. He would tie his clothes on his head and cross the river within minutes.
Our friend Pius came around a week later and told us about his experience running in the Nairobi StanChart Marathon. He said he had paid Sh2,500 to run, and we were shocked to learn that he had paid that amount to run in that marathon and others.
Nyayo said while he was ready to prove to anyone that he was a great runner, he could not travel all the way to Nairobi just to run. He said, 'Mimi ndio nafaa kulipwa kukimbia,' adding that he would show the world what a great runner he was if he were to run in the Kakamega Forest Marathon.
Two days after running in the Nairobi StanChart Marathon, Pius came back to the village and was very happy to have completed 21kms. Nyayo said, 'That is very little,' and added that he could run 60kms in that time.
We started training for the Kakamega Forest Marathon last Friday. Pius wore an expensive yellow running vest, tight shorts, yellow Nike shoes, and matching socks. He carried a water bottle in his right hand and wore a wristwatch on his left hand, which he kept looking at.
I had worn my old Kilimambogo tracksuit, but Pius advised against it, saying I would sweat a lot. So I removed it and remained with a vest and a short kaptula. Both were a little torn, but true runners don't care about such small matters.
It was a slow run, with Pius controlling the speed. We went past Mwisho wa Lami market, then to St Theresa's Girls. Nyayo alerted Pius that it would be an abomination if we ran anywhere near Fiolina's village. 'You can't go near your in-law's village wearing a vest and a short. What if I bumped into my mother-in-Law?' he said.
So we took the opposite direction, ran for some time, then came back home. I was the star attraction throughout the journey, and people kept looking at me, especially ladies, who stopped just to admire me.
It was a little over an hour later when we returned. Nyayo and I were sure we had done about 30kms, but Pius's watch indicated that we had done about 6.6kms.
Word spread quickly, and that day, we already had three people who wanted to train with us. They will join us today morning for our second run.
You too can train from wherever you are and come run with us in Kakamega Forest Marathon, where we will show the whole world that we too are not limited... including Kipchoge, whose record we will beat!
