Habari za Wiki - 6 April, 2021
Women’s Half Marathon Record in Istanbul
It was Kenyan day at the Istanbul Half Marathon on Sunday with Kibiwott Kandie and Ruth Chepngetich emerging victorious.
In the women’s race – Ruth Chepngetich, Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Hellen Obiri were part of an eight-woman pack in the early stages, by the time they passed 10km, the group reduced to five. Yehualaw attempted a brief stint at the front, but with 55 minutes on the clock, Chepngetich took over maintaining the pace to the end crossing the line in a new world record of 1:04:02 for her third victory in Istanbul. Yehualaw was second while Hellen Obiri was third with 1:04:51 – the fastest ever half marathon debut. It’s the first time three women finished inside 65 minutes in one half marathon.
Now Kenya is home for two women’s half marathon records - both with and without male pacers. Ruth Chepngetich becomes just the second athlete in history to win a world marathon title and break a half marathon world record, after legendary Norwegian distance runner Grete Waitz. As the record awaits usual ratification, it will no doubt serve as a huge morale booster for Ruth ahead of the Olympic Games.
In the men’s Kibiwott Kandie took over the race from pacer Benard Ngeno with about 12 minutes to go, opening the gap. Geoffrey Kamworor covered the distance but Kandie held on to the lead to win the mens race in a course record of 59:35. Kamworor finished 3 seconds later in 59:38. Roncer Kipkorir was third in 59:46.
You can watch the full replay of the race here.
How Many Times Does Kibiwott Kandie Train?
While the buzz is still on Kandie, he takes us through his childhood which shaped his athletics. Also in this piece, Kandie talks about his training schedule which comprises of 6am, 10am and 4pm training. He trains for threes and covers about 38km a day. Talk about high volume!
Hamburg Marathon Postponed
More than 70 athletes are going to try to secure Olympic qualifications at the Hamburg Marathon on 11 April. However organizers have been forced to postpone the marathon to 18 April to due Covid 19 restrictions in Germany. They’re also scrambling to find a new venue.
Eliud Kipchoge, who is booked for the race, is staying optimistic: "Over the past months we have learned that we need to be flexible and stay positive. With this in mind, I thank everybody involved from the organisation, to sponsors, to my fellow runners, to keep working hard with positive minds to find a good alternative for us as athletes."
Sprinter’s Dilemma Despite Qualifying for Tokyo
100m specialist Ferdinand Omanyala is a man in a huge dilemma. He recently attained the qualifying mark for Tokyo Olympic Games during the Making of Champions Grand Prix in Lagos with a 10.01 seconds victory.
However in 2017 Omanyala was suspended for 14 months by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya following an anti-doping rule violation. Athletics Kenya says any athlete who has been suspended for doping will never represent the country. Omanyala hopes AK will soften their stance, but if not he will reach out to World Athletics to compete as a neutral athlete in order to fulfil his Olympic dream.
Non-Kenyan News
Brit Runs a Record?
British triathlete Beth Potter ran a blistering 14:41 5k on Saturday. That’s two seconds faster than Beatrice Chepkoech’s world record. But without proper timing certification and anti-doping testing at the race, it won’t count as an official record.
Still, certainly looks like she’s one to watch.
Hayward Field is now open!
Hayward Field has over the years been home to the Prefontaine Classic, which is the Diamond League race in Oregon. From Eliud Kipchoge, Mo Farah, Vivian Cheruiyot, Faith Kipyegon, Kenenisa Bekele to Tirunesh Dibaba, countless stars have competed on that track.
In 2019 it was closed down for construction. This historic track at the University of Oregon in Eugene has finally reached the finish line, and on Friday 2 April it held its first meet. The state of the art facility has nearly 25,000 sitting capacity, in order to accommodate the 2022 World Athletics championships.
From Us At Enda
Part of our mission is to change the way the world sees Kenya. We want everyone to know that Kenya is a country of great design and top quality products.
We’re not alone in this mission. We’ve joined together with some other great brands - Sandstorm and Adele Dejak - to bring you the best of Made in Kenya.
We’re giving away two prize packs each with two pairs of Lapatets - in our yet unreleased Kambu Red & White colorway, a Sandstorm duffle and wash bag, and 4 pieces of Adele Dejak jewelry.
All you’ve got to do is sign up for a chance to win.
After you enter: please tell a friend. We want to make sure that as many people as possible are learning about the beautiful things that are Made in Kenya.From The Enda Community
Lots of us took the Easter Weekend holiday as a chance to get outside and move. Here are a couple gents who took separate hikes around Ngong Hills outside Nairobi.
Keya Brian Osiemo went to the top in his Itens, and captured this stunning shot:
And Alphonce Shiundu took a hike around the hills in his pair of Lapatets, describing the adventure on twitter:
“What a day. Total hike, from Lusigetti in Kikuyu, going round Ngong Hills, to Kisames and then on Magadi road to Kiserian, 37km or 50,311 steps. Av. pace 5.8kph. Good news, no blisters. No pain on toes and toenails. Ankles are good. Much respect to Enda Lapatets. Uliza kiatu!”