Habari za Wiki - 8 June, 2021

From The Enda Community

One of the first members of the community to take up the  #EndaTreeRun Challenge was Tonya @tonyadbradley in the USA. Thank you Tanya for taking part. If you haven’t yet - join on in and challenge yourself and your friends to get some trees planted in Kenya.

Tonya Bradley

 The Running News

Kipchumba & Kipchirchir Win The Eldoret City Marathon

Over the weekend, Mercy Kipchumba and Victor Kipchirchir were the champions of the Eldoret City Marathon held in Uasin Gichu County. 

Kipchumba edged clear in the last-minute sprint to win over Judy Kori who finished second with Janet Chelal finishing third. She took control of the race in the fourth lap, gaining a 100m advantage and winning the race in 2:28:10.  

Former Eldoret Marathon champion Valarie Aiyabei, who was leading for most part of the race, but failed to defend her title. We can't blame her though, she just ran a 2:22 marathon for 3rd place the Battle of the Teams in Prague on 30 May.

The men's race played out very differently. Victor Kipchirchir emerged victorious among the men after clocking 2:08:56 runtwo minutes before Leonard Langat, who took second place with 2:10:49 and Emmanuel Bor closely in third place with 2:11:10. 

You can watch a replay of Eldoret City Marathon here.

Tokyo Games Biggest Test Yet For Olympics Kenya

Never before have the preparations of a team for a major tournament been so nerve-racking as the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. The central body in charge of preparing teams for Tokyo, Olympics Kenya has had a fairly easy pre-tournament planning the past years.

However, the journey to Tokyo has been akin to crossing an ocean full of sharks. Various qualified teams, as well as those pursuing qualifications, have been training in a bubble camp away from the public. 

Will Kiyeng Change Pecking Order At Tokyo Olympics?

Olympic 3,000m steeplechase silver medalist Hyvin Kiyeng longs to make history as the first Kenyan woman to win the steeplechase gold at the Olympic games. Her silver medal from Rio 2016 where she lost her chance to Kenyan-turned-Bahraini Ruth Jebet and Eunice Jepkorir's silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics are the only steeplechase medals in Kenya's Olympic cabinet. 

She faces a tough challenge from Tunisia's Olympic champion and world silver medalist Habiba Ghribi, Ethiopia's Olympic bronze medalist Sofia Assefa, America's 2017 world champion Emma Coburn and Silver medalist Courtney Frerichs. 

Non-Kenyan News

Fraser-Pryce Becomes Second-Quickest Woman In 100m

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce became the second-quickest woman ever over 100m and set a reminder that she remains the one to beat at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 34-year-old clocked a stunning 10.63sec in Kingston, Jamaica, to become the fastest female sprinter alive, replacing the American Carmelita Jeter, who ran 10.64 in 2009. 

Congolese Athlete Francois Msafiri Runs 500km For Charity

Francois Msafiri is using his athletics to raise funds to provide quality education to the thousands of children living in refugee camps. He completed a three-day charity run from Nairobi to Mombasa to raise funds to allow at least 5,000 refugee children to access education.

Not only was the ultra-marathoner and long distance runner seeking to raise funds, he also covered over 500km to create awareness of the refugee situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

He aimed to cover the entire distance in 40 hours but fell short as he suffered a muscle pull after the first 300km.

Sifan Hassan Breaks Women's 10,000m World Record

Netherlands' Sifan Hassan broke the women's 10,000m World Record by 10.63 seconds at the Continental Tour Meet in Hengelo, Netherlands. The Ethiopian-born runner replaced Almaz Ayana's record of 29:17:45 set in the Rio Olympics with 29 minutes, 6.82 seconds.

New Research Reveals Running Boom During Covid-19 Pandemic

According to a new study, more people have taken up running during the pandemic and they intend to maintain their newfound passion for the sport post-pandemic. On Global Running Day Nielsen, the official research and intelligence supplier to World Athletics revealed the power of running during this time.