Home of Champions

Confidently written across the archway that marks your entry into the hilly town of Iten is: Welcome to Iten - Home of Champions. Few towns have a motto as true as this one. 

"There are 17 American men in history who have run under 2:10 in the marathon, there were 32 Kalenjin who did it in October of 2011." - David Epstein 

I shot this story about the running town of Iten, Kenya for Running Times Magazine and you can view the pictures from that here.

You might not know it yet but the reason you want to run in Iten is Kamariny Stadium. This is probably the busiest and most talented track in the world. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 till noon the lanes are jam packed with, literally, world record holders and gold medalists. 

The track at Kamariny Stadium has a small set of bleachers for spectators to shade themselves but the facility is in a state of disrepair. 

In Iten, Kenya stretching at the edge of town can feel like stretching on the edge of the world. There are some real cool runs around the valley edge with amazing views if you're willing to explore a little bit. This image was taken just a short jog away from the Jambo hotel. 

Kenya is very much an African country with traditional African foods but common throughout the country are large supermarkets pretty similar to Walmarts and you can buy anything you could ever want from them - there's really no western food or drink that you couldn't find in Kenyan supermarkets. 

However, Iten is small and doesn't have any of these large supermarkets. There are many small food shops and a market with fresh fruits and veggies but you won't easily find most western goods in this small town. 

The one thing that is always easily available is bananas - usually imported from Uganda or more tropical parts of Kenya.  

You have several options for places to stay in Iten the cheapest of your choices is the Jambo hotel. Its an interesting complex with two restaurants, a barbershop, and a cyber cafe, all squished under the three story hotel.

The only downside of staying here is how far you are from the rest of the running action in Iten. This hotel is at least two miles from the track and Iten's other hotels. 

The track at Kamariny Stadium is training ground for many of the world's current and future champions, particularly on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. If it were up to me I'd do my speed workouts on Monday and Wednesday and run early on Tuesday and Thursday so I could go watch the elites train at the track afterward. 

Only one paved road makes its way though Iten from the nearest city, Eldoret. In the other direction the pavement heads down into the rift valley. 

There's a great viewpoint about 400m down the hill from the Jambo Hotel and the 'Home of Champions' archway. Its a great place to walk down before dinner, buy a soda, and enjoy the view.

Completed in early 2014, Lornah Kipligat's new all weather track in Iten has yet to see much use. A fee of 250KES ($3) is charged to anyone not staying at Kipligat's running lodge and that's been enough to keep most locals away. 

If you're staying at the HATC then by all means, get a few workouts in on this puppy and enjoy not being caked in dust! However, if you want the real Iten experience you won't find it here. 

I was visiting at the same time as Mo Farah and one of his coaches told me that Mo did his key workouts on the all weather track but strongly preferred to run on the dirt one with everyone else if he could. Why come all the way to Kenya if you're just going to train by yourself on an all weather track?!

The track at Kamariny Stadium receives more use than perhaps any other track in the world. 

This dusty oval puts on quite the show and for many runners it's a better place to spectate than to actually practice. The track is so busy at times that slower runners really won't be able to do much without getting run over. But you can always come on an off day for your track workout or run in the afternoon when its not as busy. 

Regardless, no one will look down on you or act as if you're unwelcome. Kenyans are wildly accepting and friendly.

Kamariny Stadium can be a bit difficult to find. Start by finding Lornah Kipligat's High Altitude Training Center (an iconic fixture of a place in Kenyan running lore) and head downhill from there following other runners and asking directions as you go. If you're staying at the HATC I'm sure there will be lots of people to support and guide you - but if not, be brave, ask around, and be ready to run a little longer than planned incase you get lost!

There are several ways to get there - some taking a maze of winding trails and shortcuts - another taking a gravel road in a round about way until you hit the gate pictured here. There's also an elementary school very near the track and you might have luck by following little uniformed students on their way to school in the morning.

You don't have to be a dedicated track and cross country fan to know that Kenyan's dominate the world in distance running. But even serious fans of the sport might have a little trouble recognizing some of the best Kenyan athletes by face!

Kenyan athletes aren't known for their love of the limelight and we all know that distance running isn't exactly a mainstream sport so it’s not surprising that many fans know the names of Kenyan gold medalists much better than they know their faces.

I'd recommend doing a little homework before coming to Iten because I can guarantee that you will see Olympians and World Record Holders - even if you don't recognize them.

One morning at Kamariny dirt track I was able to recognize Asbel Kiprop and Wilson Kipsang doing their speed workouts. If you do a little Google Image searching beforehand you will probably recognize a lot more!

When I was in Iten I met a semi-elite runner from northern Canada who was wintering in Iten because the hot equatorial sun was obviously much better than the dark and freezing cold of Canada. 

Kenya can be quite hot in some places. Generally the lower in elevation the hotter it is. The coast and along the shores of Lake Victoria are horrible places for running. However, Iten ranges between 7,000' and 8,000' and though direct sun will burn you to a crisp, the nights and mornings require warm clothes. In Iten the average high is in the mid 70s.  

In fact, other than on the track, you're likely to see Kenyas dressed in light tights, jackets, and even hats and gloves. I did all my morning runs in a jacket and tights but I wish I had brought a lighter pair of tights and a less substantial jacket.

Here's a track you probably won't see when you're in Kenya but could be a lot of fun if you do. The national stadium in Nairobi isn't used a lot and you'll have to be a lot craftier than me to be allowed to train on it. It was a struggle for me to be allowed to photograph it for the magazine without paying any bribes.

But with a little research beforehand you might be able to schedule your visit around a track meet.

This view gives you a bit of context on the Kamariny stadium. Its located right on the edge of the Rift Valley. Looking beyond the track the world seems to disappear. Its an obviously awe inspiring view in many places in Iten but at the track you might not notice it because of the hundreds of runners kicking up dust in front of it. 

For the most part men and women train in separate groups in Iten but you will probably see some very fast women training with the men.

For moderately fast men from the US running with the women's groups in Iten is often a good option. You'll probably find that most training groups don't mind at all if you jump in with them. Just ask and they'll be happy let you eat their dust... literally, this track is really dusty.

The national running museum in Nairobi is probably not worth the 500KES ($5) they charge to let you visit. It's a bit outdated, fairly small, and generally not that impressive. 

But if you have nothing else to do and $5 doesn't seem like much to you then, hey, why not?

By the way this museum is only a short walk from a weird mall and the National Stadium.

Let me recommend a few books about Kenyan Runners that paint a more complete picture than I can:

Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the Secrets of the Fastest People on Earth By Adharanand Finn - A fun, casually told, story of a writer who moves his family to Iten to learn from the fastest in the world.

More Fire: How to Run the Kenyan Way by Toby Tanser - This book is not written very well. Sorry, but it sort of rambles and moves around unpredictably and is an unorganized mess. But if you're truly interested in the subject you won't care, you'lL love every page. It even has a hand drawn map of Iten. You'll learn a lot about the place and the people and what doesn't make them faster than everyone else. Tons of good info here if you're willing to work for it.

From Runner's World: 

In 2013, there were 149 male marathon performances faster than 2hr 10min. Eighty of those were by Kenyans... No globally popular human activity has ever been so dominated at elite level by people from such a relatively small region. Italians are good at singing, but not 90% of great singers are from Italy. South Americans are good at soccer, but the equivalent to running would be if the final sixteen teams in this year's World Cup were all South American.  

Visiting Iten was life changing for me. It was by far the most inspiring and amazing place I have ever been to and I can't recommend a trip there enough. If you are a fan of the sport then a trip to Iten is like a holy pilgrimage to a sacred place. It should be done at least once in your life. 

Below I will list some outside resources for learning more about running in Iten: 

• Lornah Kiplagat's High Altitude Training Center (HATC)

• The fancy Kerio View hotel in Iten

• A film about Kenyan running called Man on a Mission.

• An Article about Kenyan Running in the New York Times from 2012.

• An article about African running from Runners World.

• A story from NPR on what makes Kenyans so fast from 2013.

• An article from the Atlantic Magazine about what makes Kenyans so good from 2012.

• A somewhat scientific discussion of Kenyan athletic diets.

• A film about Kenyan Running