Kevin Kibet and Silas Kiprotich, two trail runners, train in Iten, Kenya on June 14, 2023 Kevin Kibet, 20, prepares for his first professional trail run, in Iten, Kenya on June 14, 2023
Did a transfer of power take place in Austria, at the beginning of June, during the world trail running championships? As a young player in the discipline, Kenya ranked second in the medal table, behind France. Kenyan riders have made it to the podium in every race they entered. A feat for a nation that excels in road running but has just discovered this discipline which consists of running on trails, until now the preserve of European and North American athletes.
The journey of a Kenyan athlete sums up Kenya’s thunderous arrival in the world of trail running. Philaries Kisang, 27, took silver in the climb. However, two years ago, the young woman hardly ran, and even less on hill climbs.
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“I saw that she was rising quickly, very quickly, but I did not expect such progress”says Isaac Inokadenge, the Kenyan marathon runner who spotted him. “It’s pure talent, assures her former coach Julien Lyon, who coaches a team, the Milimani Runners, and who accompanied her for a year in Iten (west), a city considered the “Mecca of marathon runners” in Kenya. She had a very hard life, she started racing late but she is already exploding at the highest level.he says proudly.
“Extraordinary power to weight ratio”
At 2,400 meters above sea level, the high plateaus of the Rift Valley are an ideal playground for runners looking for elevation gain. However, there are only about twenty of them training specifically for mountain running. “Not even 1% of athletes at Iten! », laughs Julien Lyon. But the athletes who have worn their shoes here could soon compete with Western hegemony in this young discipline which has more and more followers. “I am convinced that Kenyan athletes can make their mark in trail running in three or four years, continues Julien Lyon, who has made it his hobbyhorse. They have it all: they train at altitude, on steep terrain and have an extraordinary power-to-weight ratio. »
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Kevin Kibet, 20, is one of those rare defectors who tries his hand at hill climbing. “First, I run because there is no other choice. We really all run to make money”indicates the young runner, in the spartan room where he rests between his two daily outings. “The marathon is prestigious and there is a lot of money when you excel, but it is difficult to make your place. In the trail, you earn quite little money but you have a lot of chance of succeeding. » It was the winning bet of his former neighbour, Patrick Kipngeno, already double world champion in mountain running.
If their mountain abilities are supposed to be superior to their European competitors, why isn’t trail running becoming more democratic in Kenya? “They still lack a role model, a star they would like to follow. Iten runners are also wary of the risk of injuries and sprains which they deem too great”, exposes Julien Lyon. In fact, in Kenya, an injury can quickly mean the end of a career and bankruptcy for athletes.
“A land of great champions… and of doping”
An event put a halt to the efforts of the Kenyan trail runners. In 2022, two cases of doping in the Sierre-Zinal race, in Switzerland, tarnished the reputation of these runners. Sponsors willing to invest in trail running in Kenya have been put off. “This country is both seen as a land of great champions but also as a land of doping”underlines Mathieu Blanchard, professional ultra-trailer, who sees this competition coming from Africa little by little and went to train this year on the ocher paths of Iten.
In 2022 alone, twenty-five Kenyan long-distance runners tested positive for doping products. “A national disgrace” according to world marathon record holder and local star, Eliud Kipchoge. So much so that the entire Kenyan athletics federation could be subject to sanctions.
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If Kenyans have been able to rise in record time among the nations of trail, it is especially during short races, say of “dry climb”, over 7 or 15 kilometers. The most prestigious trails, such as the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, in France, and its 160 kilometers, are still inaccessible to them. “They are very dominating when it comes to the climbs, but they suffer on the descent due to a lack of technique and muscular ability in this area”says Mathieu Blanchard.
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Will they ever get there? “They have an almost military training discipline so they can progress very quickly. For now, they don’t think they can make as much money in the trail as on the road, and good for us”smiles the ultra-trailer.
2023-07-09 08:00:12
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