Habari za Wiki - 5 January, 2021

A Good Sign Off!!! (Happy New Year!)

On the last day of 2020, there were three final road races, and Kenyans delivered. 

At the Bo Classic in Bolzano, Italy, 5000m world silver medallist Margaret Chelimo won her first ever 10km race in 30:42  ahead of fellow Kenyan Dorcas Jepchirchir Tuitoek (30:43).

In Barcelona for the Cursa dels Nassos, Hellen Obiri overcame a heavy fall and early withdrawal of her pacesetter to win the 10km in 30:53. A video of the fall is the 2nd image in this instagram post, it looks like she catches the corner of an oddly shaped curb. She had been going for the 10km world record, and with a fall like that the record was clearly gone, and it’s amazing she pulled off the win. 

In Madrid, Daniel Simiu beat a strong field to win the San Silvestre Vallecana in an outstanding time of 27.41. While marathon world champion Ruth Chepngetich finished second in the women’s race. 

We say it all the time, but Daniel Simiu was one of the athletes who helped us test the first version of the Lapatet and we’re so proud to see his career starting to take off. 

Daniel Simiu Ebenyo

Daniel testing out the first Lapatet prototypes.

Kimeli Ready for Greatness

2020 was a breakthrough year for Nicholas Kimeli. Aside from posting a world leading time in 10,000m and a stadium record at Nyayo stadium, Kimeli finished second two times behind Joshua Cheptegei (he of 5000m and 10,000m world records glory). In Valencia, he paced for Cheptegei’s world record. Kimeli looks to become one of the greats, so keep an eye on him as we head into 2021.

Vincent Yegon breaks an Ekiden Barrier

Kenya’s Vincent Yegon, a 2nd-year student at Tokyo Kokusai University, was awarded the Kanaguri Cup as the MVP of the 2021 Hakone Ekiden for setting a new course record of 1:05:49 for the 23.1 km Second Stage. 

The Hakone Ekiden is one of the biggest races in the world, with this year about 65 million people tuned in to watch. The major universities of Tokyo each field a team of exceptional athletes to run a two day relay race between Tokyo and the small town of Hakone.

It is steeped in tradition, and Yegon is the first runner from Tokyo Kokusai University and the first non-Japanese athlete to win the Kanaguri Cup. 

Cross Country Wraps Up in Kenya

We had the first race of the year in Kenya – the Ol Kalou Cross Country which was the last stop of Athletics Kenya’s three events Cross Country series. And it was a newcomers’ day with Emmanuel Kiprop from Nyahururu and Kerigent’s Everline Chirchir winning the senior titles. Kiprop’s winning time was 29 minutes and 44.2 seconds while Everline’s victory time was 33:33.4. 

Elphas Cheboi from Elgeyo Marakwet and Weldon Kipkurui of Iten rounded out the men’s podium. Caroline Chepkoech from Marakwet and Edinah Jebitok of Kapkaimur were 2nd and 3rd for the women. 

Athletics Events in Kenya This Month

If you are in Nairobi, there are a couple of upcoming athletics events you can go watch: 

9th January - Opening leg of the relay series at Nyayo Stadium. 

15 January - Kenya Police Service Cross Country Championships at the Ngong Racecourse

16 January - Kenya Prisons Service Cross Country Championships at the Prisons Staff Training College, Ruiru. 

Non-Kenyan News

Cheptegei Going For A Double in Tokyo

Today marks 199 days to the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo where men’s 5000m and 10,000m world record holder Joshua Cheptegei's target is to run both 5000m and 10,000m. There are three days between the 10,000m final and 5000m semi-final. This is perfect for someone who wants to double like Cheptegei. Indeed in 2012 and 2016 Mo Farah of the UK won double gold in the same events. 

Aliphine is Full of Good News!

Kenyan born, American Olympic marathon trials champion Aliphine Tuliamuk has all sorts of good news. In early December she announced that due to the delay of the Olympics she and her partner are starting a family. And then just this past week they announced their engagement too! This was meant to be her year of Olympic debut, but she’s certainly made the most of the changes in schedule.

From Us At Enda

We’ve got a new colorway out and available today. Inspired by the lush forests of the Aberdare Mountains of central Kenya, we give you: Aberdare White & Green. 

Aberdare White and Green

Karuru Falls Aberdares

It would be hypocritical of us to draw inspiration from nature without doing more to protect it. And we are: in 2020, we went Climate Neutral. This is an independent certification meaning we measure our carbon footprint, work to reduce emissions, and then offset the rest. 

But we can’t stop there. The climate crisis is accelerating, so each year we all need to do more to reduce our collective impact. So we want to start off this year by rewarding every member of the Enda Community who joins us by offsetting your annual emissions. 

Send us proof of your offsets (email hello@endarunning.com with your receipt or tag us on a social media post of a screenshot), and we’ll send you back a 25% discount code. 

If you did offset your emissions anytime in 2020, just send us your receipt. If you haven’t yet, then check out Wildlife Works and Carbon Footprint who both offer offset options that support forestry work in Kenya. They both also have tools to estimate your offsets based on where you live and your lifestyle. 

If you’re skeptical of this action: we get it. Carbon offsets aren’t perfect. To solve the climate crisis we need coordinated government action. But offsets do a some very good things.

First, they fund forestry projects and help restore the natural environment - giving back to the natural beauty that inspires the Aberdare White & Green colorway.

Second, they demonstrate to politicians that the political will exists to take meaningful action on climate change.

So we hope you’ll join us. We'll run this offer through 24 January.

From The Enda Community

We know the bright colors pop on social media, so it warms our hearts when we see our more mellow colorways getting some love. Polka on Twitter was just celebrating getting a pair of Batian Lapatets: 

 

 

That’s it for this week! We wish you a happy, healthy and resilient year. Let us look back at the past year with gratitude and the warmest of memories, and allow this new year to unfold with hope. 

Wishing you 12 months of success, 52 weeks of laughter, 365 days of fun, 8,760 hours of joy, 525, 600 minutes of good health and well-being and 31,536,000 seconds of love and light. 

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