Flomena Cheyech and Simon Njuguna are the proud winners of this year’s 4th edition of the Iten marathon 42 km race, with each pocketing Sh1 million.
Cheyech was elated after winning the race, saying this was her first attempt and with the race being held in Iten, she knew she would be facing a stiff challenge.
Speaking to the press after the win, Cheyech said the race was tough given the steep terrain but said her training at Kapsoit, which is equally steep, helped her overcome the challenge.
Cheyech won the race after clocking 2:32:11. Suzzy Chebet clocked 2:34:34 to take second position, while Irene Jeruto followed closely with 2:35:19.
Njuguna won the 42km men race with 2:12:09; Edwin Tuitoek was second with 2:12:31 while Denis Kibiwott came third after clocking 2:12:34.
Joy Chetoyek and James Kirpotich won the 10km race for both women and men after clocking 33:21 and 29:42 respectively.
Speaking during the function, Marakwet West MP Timothy Kipchumba said he will lobby other legislators from the region to have the NG-CDF allowed to fund training camps as a way of promoting sportsmen and women.
Kipchumba regretted that the county has many training camps which support many upcoming athletes but which are facing various challenges but they cannot be assisted as there is no law allowing NG-CDF to fund them.
He expressed concern that the law on doping in the country was very weak, allowing those who provide drugs to athletes to go scot-free while athletes are banned from running.
The legislator said he will be introducing a law in parliament to ensure that both the athlete caught doping and the person who provided the drugs are given stiff sentences in a bid to fight the vice which has tainted the image of the country.
Governor Wisley Rotich expressed optimism that work at the Kamariny Stadium will be completed in the next six months to allow the county to hold athletic competitions at the stadium, saying the contractor is expected to resume work this week.
He said the county has continued to grade playgrounds in local primary schools in addition to training at least one coach in primary, junior and senior secondary schools as a way to improve athletics from the grassroots.
The governor noted that the Iten marathon has been improving, saying the first edition attracted only 200 athletes, which has increased to the current 1,000.
Rotich said the edition was held in memory of the 41 people who lost their lives in landslides that affected the county and called on all residents to ensure that they conserve the environment in the respective areas and ensure that they don’t endanger the lives of others.
By Alice Wanjiru
