Every time I have visited Africa, it has been more than magic.

I would have never imagined that a trip to Kenya will be one of the most rewarding experiences in my entire life.

As a runner, I was always dreamt of going to the mecca of running in Kenya. Iten is a remote farming town on the western escarpment of Kenya’s great rift valley and what feels – and breathes like the edge of the world. In other words, it’s sort of runner's paradise.

My first impression when we finally arrived in Iten was like love at first sight; The first thing you notice are two large rectangular arches, on the only road in and out, the Kenyan flag painted down each side and six words written across the top in capital letters: WELCOME TO ITEN – HOME OF CHAMPIONS. The tangerine clay roads, lots of motorbikes transporting goods with up to 4 people on them at one time and the market stalls were a mere glimpse from the window car before our final stop.

Sharing two weeks of my life with many diverse and incredible people from various countries was once in a lifetime experience. The high altitude training camp and the facilities where we stayed are incredible; It’s in a very secluded area, with a lot of vegetation where you can clearly hear the birds singing in the morning; and seeing the sunrise from just outside my room every single day was a bonus; like the best things in life are free. Not to mentioned that the local Kenyan food is delicious, specially Ugali, a traditional kind of stiff maize flour porridge.

The beginning of the first week in Iten was very intense in a good way, alternating running in the main roads and dirt tracks through the small fields of crops; Getting adapted to the altitude and to the thin air was a bit of a challenge, as I could see that my heart rate went up to the roof on my monitor watch.

On an early cold morning run, my sight was diverted to a large group of effortless Kenyan’s runners who were pounding the hilly roads and the sound was really special to hear it. Molby road was an amazing experience to be part of and the famous fartlek weekly session in Tiren road, was supreme; On top of that we had spare time for a short hike down to a local waterfall in the beautiful dense rainforest.

A small issue in Kenya will be consider as a huge problem in our society. After we came back from an early running session I couldn’t get into my room; I was taking by surprised as I couldn’t find the key in my pocket and I then mentioned that I have a problem; and the answer was that this is just an unusual situation, not a problem at all.

As time was passing by, I was falling more and more in love with Iten, their people and culture; It was Monday night, one week was disappeared already and I couldn’t sleep about the excitement of meeting one of the best athletes of all time the following day. It was raining all night and the chances now were very slim, but in life nothing is impossible.

Having the opportuning to share the track with the great Eliud Kipchoge, it was unbelievable; Three weeks later after coming back still seems so unreal. We were very lucky to coincide with him on that Tuesday morning, but we were having positive thoughts about it for nearly a week; and most times when you positively believe in something it happens. The first reaction when we saw the unfinished stadium was a bit shocking; but once we went inside the perception changed completely. Seeing so many great athletes running to get away from poverty in a very competitive environment was incredible. Every single one of them has a dream to pursue, at least they are very determined to give it a try. Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do something, because you can.

One of the highlights in Iten was our visit to a single mother settlement first hand work supported by the Gathimba Edwards foundation. The charity provide as many Kenyan children as possible with the opportunity to a bright future. On our way to the village I spotted a few children running around and after we were introduced we spent some quality time playing with them and making them smile; In fact, you don’t need to do much to make someone happy, giving up some of your time is all you need. Since the NGO began, they have supported 545 Children, built 50 new homes & provided 273 new beds.

Given the chance to see a few homes that the foundation had built was an eye opening experience; and hearing the stories of the families that lived there and how much the work of the Gathimba Edwards foundation had improved their lives was very rewarding.

The only difference between the Kenyan’s and us is the place where we/they were born. Having myself been living in a very materialistic part of the world, what struck me the most in Iten was how people who live with so little can be so happy all the time; I had the same impression when I visited Rwanda and Fiji, perhaps this is a life lesson to learn for all of us who are living in developed countries.

Africa is the oldest and my favourite continent on earth; visiting the mother continent one time may just allow you to see life from another perspective, I highly recommended.

I am completely sure that my last chapter in Kenya is not written yet. Until next time …

Training like the the Kenyan's

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