From AFP via BusinessReport

Take a tour around the small Kenyan town of Iten and the scene is something of a who’s who of the athletics world.

Olympic gold medalists, world record holders as well as the stars of tomorrow are all being drawn to the modest red-dirt Rift Valley destination, fast emerging as the go-to training destination for the world’s elite runners.

At its centre is the High Altitude Training Centre (HATC), set up nearly 15 years ago by runner and entrepreneur Lornah Kiplagat and a facility she hopes will one day prove to be as big a cash draw as Kenya’s safaris and beaches.

“This is a way of marketing Kenya,” Kiplagat told AFP. “For me I look at the big picture. We have taken the challenge to lead the way, and when Kenyans realise that this is a way of selling Kenya, it will be great.”

Nestled in the hills overlooking a deep ravine at an altitude of 2 400 metres (8 000 feet) above sea level, criss-crossed by traffic-free dirt tracks and blessed with year-round sunshine, Iten is considered the perfect environment for distance training success.

In addition, the region’s majority Kalenjin tribe is genetically gifted for endurance sport and has produced hundreds of champions.

Here, Olympic glory is widely seen as a viable way to riches and fame, providing for the emergence of a unrivalled depth of talent and running culture that visitors can tap into for their training.

Hundreds of non-Kenyan runners are now being drawn to the town of just 4 000 people, among them the likes of Britain’s Olympic and world champion Mo Farah and women’s marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe, both of whom have fled the cold European winter for pre-season training.

Written by Aileen Kimutai | Read more at BusinessReport