• Despite being 18, Kipkirui will compete in the senior category, according to his coach Barnaba Kitilit.
• The organisers have set aside a Sh5m prize purse to be shared among the top performers.
Image: EMMANUEL SABUNI
World Road Running Championships half marathon silver medalist Daniel Simiu and world cross country junior champion Ishmael Kipkurui will highlight the inaugural Chepsaita Cross Country set for this Saturday at Chepsaita High School, Uasin Gishu County.
Simiu, the New Delhi half marathon champion, said that he is hungry for victory on Saturday after dominant displays in his recent cross country outings.
“If I will not be there, who will be? I am seriously hungry for more victories. I want to perform better than I have ever,” said Simiu ahead of the World Athletics bronze label race.
He said the race will be part of his endurance training ahead of the world cross country championships to be held in Belgrade, Serbia, next year.
‘This is part of my training ahead of the world cross country. I am told that the course is very tough, meaning, it will be a good race for me to test my endurance and fitness,” added Simiu.
Although he is only 18 years old, Kipkirui will compete in the senior category, according to his coach Barnaba Kitilit.
“The boy said that even if he will complete the race in position 20, it is better than running in the junior ranks where they are only clapped for compared to seniors who are remunerated,” said Kitilit said of the Form Three student at Sinonin Secondary School.
The organisers have set aside a Sh5m prize purse to be shared among the top performers.
“We have a total prize money of Sh5m that will be shared among top athletes,” said Athletics Kenya Central Rift chairman Abraham Mutai.
Mutai said they are expecting a huge turnout as elite runners prepare for the new season, especially the World Cros Country Championships.
The race will also feature persons Living with Disability with consultations still ongoing on the distance they should cover as well as their prize money.
The race Chief Executive Officer Kennedy Tanui said the event will be unique since it will be held at high altitude.
“This is one of the toughest courses with a tough terrain that has tricky obstacles, hills, and inclines. It is not a trail run,” said Tanui.