A day with Pace Sports Management's coach, Sammy Mitei

Coach Sammy Mitei noting track interval times of his athletes in Eldoret

It was such a great learning experience to me when I visited Pace Sports Management’s Sammy Mitei as he coached his runners in Eldoret. I saw a lot for myself and learned more as I listened to him. 

"What did I just tell you?!" he had asked, and I could not hide my astonishment.



After explaining to me how, as an experienced coach, he had learned to give out workouts to his athletes depending on how he has come to know each and every one of them - there are those who often complain that the work out is too much and also those who would feel that they still wish to add in some more at the end of the session - one of his athletes who had just been doing some 800m intervals on the track actually came up to where we stood and asked him if he could add some more 300m intervals! He gave him the okay.

Experiences from my long distance online coaching career

Bethwell Birgen training with his group in Eldoret

As a coach, my responsibilities are not as obvious as they appear. I am being entrusted with someone’s life’s goals in running and I would never want to let down anybody who trusts in me and that is why I prefer taking a slow and sure way to success rather than pushing a runner through short and dangerous ways. 

There is so much that can be added into a training program; hill workouts, slope repeats, different kinds of fartleks, downhill speed workouts, long and short track intervals, threshold runs, diagonals, tempo runs, easy runs, moderate runs, recovery runs, track repeats, long runs, semi-long runs, etc. However, not all these types of workouts necessarily need to happen all at once, in the same week, or even in the same month.

Simon Cheprot touches hearts at the Okpekpe 10Km Road Race

Simon Cheprot stops to help a runner during the Okpekpe Road Race

Jacqueline Nyetipei helps a running
drink water in a race

For yet another time, a Kenyan runner has captured the hearts of many fans not because of their running, but due to their kind and humane acts during the race.

This was in an almost similar incident to that of Jacqueline Nyatipei did stop on her way to winning a marathon in China some time back to offer water to a disabled athlete who was clearly struggling to keep on running

No one could enact the drama of the biblical Good Samaritan more than Simion Cheprot this weekend in one of the biggest 10km road races in Africa.

While those who would have been in a better position to step in and help just stood there and watched as Kipkemoi crawled on the ground as he struggled to get up, Cheprot came from behind. For any other athlete, it would have been a golden opportunity to pass by the struggling runner and finish in a better position. But not for Cheprot. He stopped to pick up the struggling runner and carried him to the finish line despite other runners running past him in the process.

2019 Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon Live Streaming Video

With Abera Kuma, Adugna Tekele and Tedat Ayana of Ethiopia against Kenya's Martin Kosgey and Albert Korir, it remains to be seen whether the individual title in this race will continue to go to the Ethiopians.

The women's race as well has got a very competitive field which appears to be favoring an Ethiopian victory, led by Abeba Tekulu Gebrmeskel with a personal best time of 2:24:53. The Kenyan squad is led by Risper Chebet with 2:27:23.

A visit to Lornah Kiplagat’s track in Iten during its construction

Lornah Kiplagat's track in Iten

On the 14th day of January 2013, work began on the site of the track that was being constructed by Lornah Kiplagat in Iten, Kenya. 



The field had to be cleared, and all the loose soil excavated and carried out of the site before being replaced by hard subsoil brought from nearby quarries and leveled.

Could Kenya's dominance in the men's 3000m steeplechase end at the 2019 Doha world championships?

Ezekiel Kemboi, Brimin Kipruto, Conseslus Kipruto and Jairus Birech

Among the burning questions and curiosity on what to expect at the IAAF world championships this year is: Will Kenya’s supremacy in the men’s 3000m steeplechase continue past the Doha championships?

Since the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Conseslus Kipruto has not only been fighting to keep a stellar record in his running career but as well to –single-handedly- keep the Kenyan tradition of dominating the event. He followed that by winning the World Championship title in 2017, the Commonwealth Games title in 2018 and the Continental Cup title. But, with the growing strength in competition and interest from other nations, it remains to be seen how long one man is going to keep Kenya on top.

Kenyan Athlete becomes an online coach!

Kenyan Athlete with fans in Canada

The happenings from 2016 to 2018 have inspired me tremendously to take up the job of helping others improve their fitness levels.

I have voluntarily coached a good number of runners over the last three years who have returned some amazing results in their running achievements. I am deciding to make it official. I have now decided to become an online coach in all matters related to running, especially long distance running. It has always been my passion to provide tips on all the dynamics of training from starting running, mileage loading, different types of speed workouts and when/how to start them, hill workouts, avoiding injury, and preparing a program that takes all these into consideration.

Peres Jepchirchir, Edith Chelimo, Valary Jemeli and Stacy Ndiwa to run Ottawa 10K

Start of the 2016 Ottawa 10K

With the presence of Peres Jepchirchir, the 2016 world half-marathon champion and also the winner of the 2016 Ottawa 10K; Stacy Ndiwa, the reigning African 10,000m champion; Valary Jemeli Ayabei, Gelete Alemayehu and Edith Chelimo, among others, this year’s Ottawa 10K race will be an exciting one to watch.

The IAAF gold label race will be held in Canada's capital city of Ottawa on Saturday the 25th of May a day ahead of the Ottawa marathon, another IAAF gold label race.



The Ottawa 10K is the only IAAF Gold Label 10K event in Canada and one of only four IAAF Gold label 10Ks in the world.

Chengdu Marathon becomes an official candidate race for the Abbott World Marathon Majors

Runners participating in the 2018 Chengdu Internationa Marathon. Photo courtesy of China Daily

Another city marathon could soon be joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, New York and Chicago city marathons as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. 

The China Athletic Association, Chengdu Municipal People’s Government, Wanda Group and the Abbott World Marathon Majors have announced the Chengdu Marathon as an official candidate race for the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM).

A visit to one unique training camp for young and upcoming runners in Kaptagat, Kenya

The Complete Sports Camp in Kaptagat

This is my story on a visit to one of the most unique athletics training camps in Kenya some time in 2017

In this warm, dusty and dry weather across most parts of Kenya, I could hardly believe the changes that I found by simply driving 26km out of Eldoret town this Wednesday (18th January 2017) to Kaptagat's relatively new training camp.

The air coming from the adjacent Kaptagat forest was amazingly cool and refreshing. "This is one of the reasons why I come here almost annually to spent my holidays and mentor the young athletes here," said Urs Haenni from Switzerland. "Nowhere else in the world can one find such an amazing weather."

My thoughts on the daily addition of new Guinness world records in running

The fastest marathon dressed as a book character (female) is 3 hr 08 min 34 sec and was achieved by Naomi Flanagan (UK), dressed as Tinkerbell, at the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon, in London, UK, on 24 April 2016. Photo from The Guinness World Records 

I have been spending some sleepless nights of late thinking about the possibility of becoming the best marathon runner in the world, given that Eliud Kipchoge has already made the world record almost superhuman to achieve at 2:01:39. Then this thought struck me. What if I go for a Guinness world record instead? Why not just run a 3hr marathon holding some weights? Why push so much to run close to a sub 2hr marathon when I could just wear a suit, or a skirt, and become the fastest ever marathon runner wearing a suit?

Just before writing this article, I decided to run a new Guinness world record of 5 meters running backward on one foot, which I did in four seconds! Thinking I had done the hardest part and only needed to submit the record to the Guinness Book,