Chemoge High Altitude Training Centre in Mt Elgon will be equipped and upgraded to a national training centre, Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwa has said.
Speaking at Banantega in Mt Elgon, Ababu noted that the facility is strategic with a capacity to cater to local and national athletes.
"We are going to equip this facility and give it a complete facelift. It's one of a kind in the country,” he said.
He committed, through his Sports Ministry, to ensure the completion of sports facilities across the country to ease congestion at Iten, in Elgeyo Marakwet County and other regions.
"The projects earmarked for completion include the High Altitude Training Centres for athletes in Chemoge. This will serve our sportsmen and women. It will ease congestion, ignite the local economy and brew investment opportunities in the region,” he reiterated.
The training camp is a state of the art facility with a gym, hostels, cafeteria, VIP rooms and cafeteria.
The Chemoge High Altitude Centre is among projects initiated between 2013 and 2017 under Governor Ken Lusaka's first tenure.
Altitude training is the practice of some endurance athletes of training for several weeks at high altitudes, preferably over 2,400 meters (8,000 feet) above sea level.
Some athletes live permanently at high altitudes, only returning to sea level to compete.
Simply put, it’s the practice of spending time in places high above sea level so your body adapts to less oxygen, enhancing your athletic performance.
For some, this approach helps them compete competently at a high altitude. For others, it boosts their ability to perform at a lower altitude.
The High Altitude Training Center in Iten was founded by multiple world champion Lornah Kiplagat.
Iten is a town along the Elgeyo escarpment. The altitude of 2400 metres. / 7900 feet above sea level is ideal for high-altitude training. The HATC is open to everyone, from recreational runners to elite level athletes.
Over the past three decades, Iten has produced a staggering number of world champions and Olympic medallists.
