Iten, Kenya: Why It Is Called the Home of Champions

Iten, Kenya is a small town in the Rift Valley highlands that has produced, trained or hosted a remarkable share of the world's best distance runners, which is why a sign at its entrance welcomes visitors to the "Home of Champions". The short answer to why is a combination: high altitude of around 2,400 metres, a strong running culture among the Kalenjin communities of the region, a famous school athletics tradition, hundreds of athletes training together every day, and the real chance that running can change a family's fortunes.

None of those factors works alone. Together they have turned a modest town on the edge of an escarpment into a place where athletes from all over the world come to run.

Where is Iten, Kenya?

Iten is the main town of Elgeyo-Marakwet County in western Kenya, not far from the city of Eldoret. It sits on the lip of the Elgeyo Escarpment, where the land drops steeply into the Kerio Valley, part of the Great Rift Valley. The views are vast, the air is thin, and the surrounding roads are mostly red dirt, which is kinder to legs than tarmac.

The town itself is unassuming: a main street, small hotels and guesthouses, shops, churches and a running track at Kamariny Stadium. What makes it distinctive is the number of people out running at first light.

Altitude, terrain and the training day

At around 2,400 metres, each breath carries less oxygen than at sea level. Over time, the body adapts, which can help endurance when athletes race lower down. Altitude alone does not make champions, since many high places in the world do not produce runners, but it is a useful ingredient.

The training day in Iten tends to follow a familiar rhythm. Groups set off at dawn, sometimes dozens of runners strong, along dirt roads and hill paths. There is often a second, easier run later in the day. In between there is rest, simple food, and a great deal of sleep. Many athletes live in modest rented rooms or training camps, with few distractions. The discipline is collective: running in a group makes hard sessions possible, and young athletes learn by keeping pace with more experienced ones.

A meeting place for the world's runners

Over the years Iten has also drawn international athletes and coaches who come for weeks or months to train at altitude. One of the best known training centres in the town was founded by the Kenyan-born runner Lornah Kiplagat, a world champion herself.

St Patrick's and a coaching tradition

Much of Iten's reputation grew from St Patrick's High School, founded by Irish Catholic brothers. From the 1970s, one of them, Brother Colm O'Connell, coached its athletes and stayed on for decades, becoming one of the most respected coaches in the sport. Students and athletes associated with the school and with his coaching include world and Olympic medallists such as Peter Rono, Olympic 1500 metres champion in 1988, and Wilson Kipketer, who later ran for Denmark. O'Connell also coached David Rudisha, who set the 800 metres world record at the London Olympics in 2012.

The story is not only a foreign coach's, though. Kenyan coaches, schoolteachers, former athletes and families have built most of the system that turns talent into careers.

Kalenjin running culture, and why genes are not the answer

A large share of Kenya's elite distance runners come from the Kalenjin, a group of related communities of the Rift Valley highlands including the Keiyo, Marakwet, Nandi, Kipsigis and Tugen. The success of Kip Keino, who won Olympic gold at 1500 metres in 1968, inspired a generation.

It is tempting to say Kenyans are simply "born to run". Scientists who have studied the question have not found a single running gene, and genetics on its own explains little. Researchers point instead to a mix of influences: altitude, active childhoods, a diet built on staples such as ugali, a strong tradition of group training, visible role models, coaching networks, and above all motivation. When a race win can pay for a family's land, a house or school fees, the incentive to train hard is powerful. Reducing all of this to biology misses the work.

The economics, the hopes and the pressures

For a few, running brings fortune. For most of the many young people who come to Iten, it brings hard training, small wins, and eventually a return to farming, teaching or other work. Prize money, appearance fees and sponsorship deals flow through agents and management companies, and success can bring pressure from relatives and community as well as opportunity.

Women athletes have become some of the town's biggest stars, but they often face extra pressures: family and childcare expectations, less control over their earnings, and in some cases violence.

Kenyan athletics has also had serious problems with doping, and the country's authorities and the sport's international bodies have stepped up testing and education. Most athletes in Iten train clean and resent the shadow it casts.

On the road through Kenya

The planned route crosses western Kenya through the Rift Valley highlands, passing not far from Iten before turning north. The expedition hopes to learn something of how the town trains and lives, as an observer rather than a participant.

It is worth being clear about the comparison. Leon's planning pace is about 30 to 35 km a day at a steady walk, never after dark. An elite marathon runner covers 42 km in a little over two hours. These are different activities, and the walk makes no claim to athletic greatness. What they share is something more ordinary: the habit of getting up early and putting one foot in front of the other, day after day. For more on what is realistic, see how far you can walk in a day, and for the deep story of human endurance, Turkana Boy.

You can read who Leon is or back the walk.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Iten called the Home of Champions?

Because so many world and Olympic distance-running medallists have trained or grown up there, helped by altitude, school athletics and a strong local running culture.

How high is Iten?

Around 2,400 metres above sea level, on the edge of the Elgeyo Escarpment above the Kerio Valley.

Can visitors train in Iten?

Yes. Many runners from abroad stay in Iten's guesthouses and training camps, often for several weeks at a time.

Are Kenyan runners genetically different?

No single running gene has been found. Altitude, upbringing, training culture, coaching and economic motivation explain far more.