sportspeople-from-kenya

"My career on the track—my Olympic bronze in the 5,000m—was built on the fast finish"

"My aim this season is to defend my title in the World Cross and win a medal in Moscow"

"Now, I give back — through sweat, through sacrifice, and through the soil we farm together"

"I had to fight a war to get into the Kenya team"

"That injury has kept me off but am back, ready to take on any race ahead of me. This is my first race after injury and a win means a lot to me. The race was too slow and I decided to take the battle by myself"

"I have been training hard after the track campaign and this proves that I have recovered well"

"There’s no shortcut in this sport. I do not support doping, and I never will. If you want to enjoy the fruits of your labor, you must do it right"

"Running gave me everything"

"I want to thank the people of Poland and especially Bydgoszcz for cheering me up as I was racing"

"That is my aim. I want to be in top three. I think 2:23 or 2:22 is within reach"

"I am lucky to be working with the best manager in the world; the Demadonna Athletics Promotions. Gianni has been so good to me, he has been calling personally to offer support and encouragement whenever I have been having challenges in my training"

"In athletics, it reaches a time when one will want to move on to a different distance, and I believe that my time to move on to the marathon is now"

"Training has been going very well. I feel very strong, very confident and I’m very motivated to do my best to defend the title I won in Punta Umbria two years ago"

"There is no need to worry. I had been training really hard in February and even did a tough session the day before the race. I just felt tired"

"With all that experience, I saw it wise to share my expertise — not just with young athletes, but with anyone willing to train with discipline"

"I have run for long, from World Championships and World Indoors to the Olympics"

"My athletes know I’m strict"

"I’m building people. Strong, disciplined people who will take Kenyan running to the next level."

"If given a chance to represent my country, I will be glad because it’s a global event and prestigious to compete at that level"

"I asked myself, ‘Will I make it to the podium?’ I decided to run my race, and it worked out well for me"

"So far in my training not only am I looking at time but also how I am feeling"

"I want to get a personal best and finish in the top three"

"I have trained well. But, being my debut, I don’t have enough experience to be able to say the exact time I will be aiming for in this race. I will not be running against anyone or going to be under any pressure. I am just going to run my race"

"I was not certain I would win because I had not raced before with the one who was following [Mehdin], but when I opened up a 10m gap, I started praying as I was racing, and I thank God that he has given me this win that I have dedicated to the Kenyans"

"At 40 kilometres I saw that I could improve my personal best. I hope to return here next year and improve my record"

"I appreciate the schools that I got to pass through in my education as I tried to balance between my running career and school work. Teachers from my former primary school in my home village of Kaptabuk and those at the Riruta Girls High School in Nairobi were always so supportive. They would take me through what other students learned while I was out of school to compete"

"I will now fight for a place in the team to World Cross Country because I feel I am in good form"

"I am so excited to finally announce my debut"

"I was to make my marathon debut in 2016 at the same marathon event, but an injury derailed my plans. Since then, it has not been a smooth journey for me as I have had a lot of ups and downs with injuries. I would train up to a point, and then get injured again"

"Last summer was a disappointment. I had some slight injuries in July and lost my chance to go to the Olympics, but since November I have been steadily improving"

"The highest moment in my running career was when I won the world cross country title in 2006, in Fukuoka. I believe that, whether it is a junior or a senior title, the fact remains that you are the best in the whole world. A gold medal is a gold medal"

"My coach has been so supportive all through my training and has never ever lost hope in me, even when I was injured. On Saturday, part of the reasons why I will be pushing hard to run a good race will be to appreciate my coach for all the support he has been giving me and to make him happy. Another person that I am grateful to for making it possible for me to emerge out of my injury woes is my physiotherapist, Shadrack Kochong"

"My athletes don't just see me as a coach. I run alongside them. They learn from how I train, rest, and carry myself. That's leadership through presence"

"If I am not training, I choose to sleep. That is why people rarely see me except during practice. I prefer to use my free time to sleep"

"These aren’t just trails. They’re tests of character"

"Our routes weave through Mau Forest"

"No one else had thought of supporting athletes this way — giving them both a place to grow athletically and financially"

"I’m not just training runners"

"When the pacemakers dropped because they were pacing up to 30km, I decided to run my race"

"I'm so excited to have emerged second in my first major marathon. Special thanks go to my husband, who gave me full support and guidance during my preparations because if I was doing it alone, I couldn't have made it"

"I had one lady who was running alongside me until the 41km mark, but I decided to make the final push, edged her out, and secured second place"

"While we were lining up, I was scared looking at my fellow elite runners because their personal best times were higher than mine,"

"After a break to recover my first training sessions went so well that I really wanted to run another marathon in the autumn. I am in the best shape of my life and did not want to waste it"

"Frankfurt is the perfect race for me. I am really excited to have the chance to come back"

"Mostly I judge myself when we do long intervals on the roads. We run 4km at about 3:30 (per kilometre) pace. Then for one kilometre easier at 4:00 pace. We do that five times. If I finish that feeling like I can continue that’s when I know I am feeling good and ready to go"

"I was very pleased about the result I had - with a very small preparation - for Hamburg, so that result was very good for me. I had a couple of small injuries along the way, so I had to scrap a couple of sessions"

"I have big hopes for Venice. Hopefully I will be able to lower my personal best"

"I am happy that I improved my personal best from last year"

"The whole of the Kenyan team was training foot of mount Kenya which is as chilly as Bydgoszcz"

"But the marathon is completely different in the final 5km. You can’t just turn your legs over like on the track; the fuel is nearly gone. The biggest adjustment is shifting from raw speed to relentless endurance"