Habari za Wiki - 1 June, 2021
From The Enda Community
Congratulations @jamesravenell on finishing his 31 day long running streak, geared up in our Lapatet Kambu Red and Teal:
"In my photo you'll see I'm wearing run shoes from a Kenyan company. I wore Black Start socks to symbolise the foundational contribution of African Americans of this formation of this union. I'm wearing the flag of our country. The shirt is representing Black Runners Connection... our focus is to increase our number in the sport of distance running."
From Us At Enda
We’re celebrating Madaraka Day today, and getting a jump on celebrating tomorrow's Global Running Day by encouraging people of all ages and abilities to get moving. Let’s turn it into a whole Global Running Month.
Our CEO Nava kicked off the campaign this morning:
Here's how you can take part:
The Running News
Kenyans Victorious At Prague Team Battle
Purity Rionoripo at Battle of the Teams courtesy of RunCzech
Benson Kipruto and Purity Rionoripo were individual winners of the inaugural edition of The Battle of the Teams in Prague. In the men’s race Benson, running for team Birell, surged over the final 5km - a decisive winning move. He crossed the line 2:10.16 leading a Kenyan 1-2-3 finish.
In contrast, Purity Rionoripo, running for Team Volkswagen, had a quick first half attack, applying pressure at the front of the women’s race at 25km, breaking loose and building a lead. As the last of the thirteen 3km laps unfolded, she pulled further and further clear, surging to the line in 2:20.14, her personal best and best performance of the day.
The Battle of the Teams concept involved four carefully balanced teams of eight athletes. It’s a fascinating concept with the power to transform the sport if executed well. It’s great to see this sort of innovation. Benson’s team Birell took the team title, but we didn’t see the sort of team work you might expect in a cross country race. So there’s still some serious room for development of the concept.
Kenyans Shine In Doha
Six Kenyans won their respective races at the Doha Diamond League.
Women's 3000m was a surprise with Beatrice Chebet recording the fastest time of the year and a personal best of 8min 27.49sec – in her first Diamond League victory.
Timothy Cheruiyot, just shaking off an injury, clocked a world leading time to win 1500m in 3:30.48. Wycliffe Kinyamal won 800m, so did Faith Kipyegon who stepped down to the 800m event.
Ngeny Clocks 1:43.91 In Pre-Olympic Qualifiers
A new star was born when Elias Ngeny won the 800m at the Athletics Kenya pre-olympic trials at Nyayo stadium in Nairobi. Ngeny’s time of 1:43.91 effectively replaced his training partner’s Wycliffe Kinyamal as the world leading time. It is good to see news stars emerging especially in the 800m, a race Kenya is struggling after the departure of David Rudisha.
Edward Cheserek Chasing An Olympic Dream In Kenya
‘King’ Cheserek is back home, for a while. He is a 17-time NCAA champion collegiate distance runner in the US. He is still based there, but hasn't been able to compete for the US, so he competed in 10,000m at the Kenya pre Olympic trials with the hope to qualify for the Olympic games. He clocked 28:10.41 to win Heat 1 of the Men's 10,000m.
Non-Kenyan News
Malcom Gladwell Runs A 5:15 At Age 57
He’s known for his many non-fiction books, but it turns out he’s got wheels! Now 57 years old, he ran impressive 5:15 mile at an exhibition event in New York. You can watch the race here.
Nigeria Host Africa Senior Athletics Championships
Nigeria has stepped in to replace Algeria as hosts of the 2021 African Athletics Championships in Lagos. The event will now be held between 23 and 27 June, which gives athletes the chance to achieve qualifying standards for the Tokyo Olympics ahead of the 29 June deadline. Competition will be held at Teslim Balogun stadium in Lagos.