Three-time World Half Marathon champion Lornah Kiplagat has launched the Lornah Sports Coaching App, designed to support beginner and intermediate recreational runners.
Available for download on both the Play Store and Apple Store or via www.lornahsportscoaching.com, the App serves as a virtual coach, offering guidance on exercises, diet, strength and conditioning and injury prevention.
Speaking during the launch at Strathmore University, the Olympian said the App aims at bridging the gap between elite and recreational runners.
"We are a nation with the best runners in the world. We wanted to integrate elite and recreational runners. This App will help close that gap so we can be a united, running nation," she said.
After retiring from elite running, Kiplagat has spent 11 years coaching recreational runners in Kenya, where she identified their struggles, especially with training and nutrition.
"Many Kenyans are now into recreational running but lack proper training and dietary guidance," she noted.
The App offers three subscription packages: bronze at Sh2,500 per month or Sh27,500 annually, silver at Sh4,500 per month or Sh48,600 per annum and gold at Sh6,500 monthly or Sh70,200 yearly.
The gold package includes access to a team of experts and a personal coach, who will provide tailored training regimens and answer questions within an hour.
It will also feature an interaction with a coach who will guide the runners through their various training regimens and answer emerging questions.
Kiptolo Boit, Head of Programs at Lornah Sports Coaching, emphasised the importance of real coach interaction over Artificial Intelligence.
"We wanted a personal touch with real coaches, fostering bonds with the runners. There will be a lot of questions from App users so the response time will not be as prompt," Boit said.
“We wanted to go for AI to answer runners' questions but opted not to since we want them to have a one-on-one interaction with a real coach, to foster a bond,” Boit noted.
Nandi Chepkemei will serve as the personalised coach. She is a sports scientist and holds a Bachelor's Degree in sports and exercise science from Loughborough University.
Her expertise includes athletics coaching, performance enhancements and functional movement with experience in nutrition, rehabilitation and health training.
There will be weekly group runs for the app users at the Karura Forest with plans to have a monthly race in major cities around the country.
