Kenya: To Improve, Runners Travel to the Town of Iten

Hundreds of athletes frequently fill the running tracks in the town of Iten, Kenya. Some are from Kenya, but others have traveled from farther away. They occasionally exercise in bunches. Everyone is here because the town, which is about 350 kilometers northwest of Nairobi and sits at an elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level, has produced some of the best long-distance runners in the world.

Ryan Mex, who came from Malta to visit the town, asks, “Why Iten? As a marathon runner, I can tell you that Kenyans typically dominate marathons. Therefore, in my opinion, Kenya and Kenyans are the best in the world and are champions. Kenya consistently dominates the world competitions in which I compete. I therefore choose to travel to Kenya for my training camp.

Several world champion athletes have temporarily called Iten home. These include British Olympic champion Mo Farah and Olympic gold medallist Eliud Kipchoge from 2016 and 2020.

Lornah, a former world half marathon champion, operates a performance-enhancing facility for athletes in the town. “If you train at 2,400 meters high, your lungs expand, your red blood cells increase and so when you go to low altitude you feel like you are flying,” she explains.

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