Habari za Wiki - 23 March, 2021
Eliud Mentally Fit for Hamburg Marathon
We are counting down days to the Hamburg Marathon on 11 April, 2021. And Eliud Kipchoge is ready mentally and physically. We don’t remember Eliud not ever being ready for a race, but after a rough run in London 2020 he wants to be extra sure.
In this interview with Runner’s World, he also notes that he thinks many runners will be following him in running sub-2 hour marathons soon and he hope to run all 6 major marathons (Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago, Berlin, & NYC) before he retires.
Kasait Finishes Second in Italy
Over the weekend, Lilian Kasait Rengeruk finished second at the 64th edition of the Campaccio in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy on Sunday. This was Kasait’s first international race since 2019. Campaccio is the first leg of the pandemic-shortened World Athletics Cross Country Permit series.
While the contest between Ethiopian Gemechu and Lilian dominated the 6km race, Rengeruk continued pushing the pace until five kilometres, with Gemechu close behind. It wasn’t until the 150m that Tsehay Gemechu outsprinted Kasait for victory.
Kasait came in second with 19:06, three seconds behind the winner. Reigning world half marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda won the men’s event.
Paul Tergat Bags Another Appointment.
Olympics Kenya President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Paul Tergat has also been appointed a board member of the Olympic Refugee Foundation for a four-year period.
Tergat is a five time World Cross Country and two time world half marathon champion. The appointment is timely as Kenya is home to some of the Refugee Olympic Team based in Ngong. 18 IOC refugee scholarship holders are in Kenya.
The Olympic Refugee Foundation was created in 2017 by the IOC and it has since coordinated 11 programmes in seven countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Rwanda, Turkey and Uganda), with new programmes to be launched shortly in Colombia and France. As a result, 200,000 young people are currently benefiting from sports programmes designed to improve their well-being and social inclusion.
Kenyan Athletes Get Financial Help
As the countdown to Tokyo Olympic games continues, Olympics Kenya is out offering financial support to Olympic hopefuls. Thirty-five long and middle-distance runners in Eldoret received a Sh2.4 million ($21,800) cash boost to help with their training. The cash will go a long way to help athletes given that there are not earning anything at the moment due to lack of races.
Kenya to Select Relays Team This Weekend
Athletics Kenya will hold the world relay championships trials this weekend at Nyayo. The two day event will be used to select athletes for the May World Championships relays. Athletics Kenya had also invited foreign athletes to the trials to make it more competitive and offer others a chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic games.
Non-Kenyan News
Runner’s High Isn’t Endorphins
Endorphins are famed as the feel-good hormone we get when running or working out. But new research indicates endorphins, while released in abundance while running, don’t actually affect our mood. So there is another chemical in the mix that is giving us that good feeling. The most likely candidate is endocannabinoids, but the research thus far isn’t conclusive.
Ethiopia to hold athletics trials in Europe
The Ethiopian Athletics Federation will hold its Tokyo Olympics track and field trials in Hengelo, Holland in June. The Hengelo trials will feature events from 800 to 10,000 metres. The marathon trials will be held on 2 May in Zurich.
World Athletics Survey
This for you: the athletics lover.
World Athletics has launched ‘Global Conversation for the Future of Athletics’
with the aim of listening to the athletics community, to identify where the sport stands now throughout the world, and to establish a vision and direction for the period through to 2030.
From Us At Enda
Last Of The Itens
This post from Elisha Omolo warmed our hearts:
“Finally! The most comfortable running and workout shoes i have ever owned have retired after hundreds of miles.
Looking forward to breaking into a new pair of Enda shoes!”
You see, we aren’t making more of our original Itens. Our good ‘ol reliable workout trainers will be getting an update later this year, but in the meantime the last of the original pairs are on sale now. Grab a last pair before they are gone.
From The Enda Community
Strive Maiyiwa is a titan of African business and a global entrepreneurship icon. This past weekend, we were honored and humbled to have him turn the spotlight on us. In a Facebook post, he talked what we’re building:
“I want you to check out the story of a Kenyan social enterprise launched about five years ago called "Enda Sportswear" which #Designs, #Manufactures, #Sells and #Exports Africa's #First high performance running shoes and sportswear. [Enda means "Go!" in Swahili].”
