by Justin Lagat
A huge signpost across the Eldoret—Uganda highway directed traffic to branch off to a murram road that led to the venue of the second edition of the Great Chepsaita Cross Country Run.
Like a river, people flowed endlessly up the hill with motor vehicles and motorcycles hooting desperately in the middle of this river for the multitudes to allow them an inch to pass.
Among the vehicles were police patrol trucks and water trucks that occasionally poured water on the road to suppress the fine dust of red soil that tires and shoes had repeatedly crushed into a light powder.
Atop the hill, helicopters kept landing and taking off. At any given time, at least six helicopters were on the ground. Parking vehicles fully occupied all the parking spaces, track facilities, and empty spaces in schools, health dispensaries, and churches nearby.
“Even if I don’t get to run here today, walking in this terrain has been enough exercise for me,” I heard a man pant and puffed out the words behind me as we walked up the hill from the parking towards the event’s venue.
Since the event’s first edition, which happened last year around the same time, many changes were evident, not just on the picturesque course, which had been expanded, but also on the structures nearby, including a school built by one of the event’s sponsors.
“Faruk Kibet has become a patron to all the schools around this area. I live here, but I can’t count the number of many schools that he went to and gave out a million shillings each to help clear school fees for children who had difficulties before they could sit for their final examinations,” one of the local residents had struck a conversation with me in the middle of the course during the women’s 10K senior race.
By then, Uganda’s Loyce Chekwemoi was already in the lead with two laps of the 2km loop remaining. Not knowing that the leader was a Ugandan, fans were watching the runner in second place keenly as they wondered whether an Ethiopian would get to win a big race in the middle of a remote village in Kenya as Shimeles Mekides Molla followed in hot pursuit. With 500m to go, the home crowds had a short-lived sigh of relief as Chekwemoi increased the gap ahead, only to learn that she was a Ugandan as the announcer called out her name and nationality at the finish line. Kenya’s Celestine Biwott was a distant third.
The top positions being awarded to foreigners may not have been great news to the locals, but it did show how big and international the event was becoming.
“The huge turnout today is truly inspiring for me and all the stakeholders involved. I promise that the next edition will be even bigger. This event clearly shows how much people love the sport. Additionally, providing an opportunity for participants to access medical check-ups is a significant achievement. Nothing motivates me more than seeing a community uplifted,” Kibet, the Patron of the Chepsaita Cross Country Run, told the press in an interview during the event.
Many government dignitaries, from the Deputy President to the CS for Sports and other CSs, graced the event.
“Through the Chepsaita Cross Country Run initiative, many children are accessing education, making it a powerful equalizer across all professions. Education allows everyone to sit at the same table,” Kenya’s Deputy President, Kithure Kindiki, said.
Huge events of this magnitude may have their downs, too, especially for young kids.
As it happens at the Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, which is termed a “silent terminal,” everyone had to check their schedule and find out where they had to be at the right time. A few of the kids either could not locate the call room and starting line or were late reporting for their event and missed out on participating.
photo by Justin Lagat
“We didn’t expect the event to be this big. Next year, we shall have all the children and their documents ready and in order well ahead of time,” Bonaventure Masika, one of the teachers who had brought kids from more than 100km away, said. They had registered more than twenty kids. Some could not get their bibs because of spelling and other mistakes in their registrations. Some of those with the bibs also did not reach the start line on time.
But the kids enjoyed watching some of the world’s best runners as they battled it out for the senior titles and got more inspired. In the latter stages, they saw the battle in the men’s 10K senior race as the trio of Mathew Kipruto, Robert Kiprop, and Samwel Chebolei broke away from the rest of the field with about 4K to go. It turned into a two-way battle in the last 2km as Chebolei and Kiprop exchanged the lead up to the final 400m when Chebolei finally got a clear gap before proceeding to win the title. Kiprop and Kipruto followed in that order to fill up the podium.
