Kenya: Runners head to town of Iten to up their game

Running tracks in the Kenyan town of Iten are often packed with hundreds of athletes. Sometimes training in clusters, some are Kenyan, whereas others have travelled from further afield.

All are here because the town, situated around 350km northwest of Nairobi, lies some 8000ft above sea level, and has produced some of the world’s top long distance runners.

Ryan Mex, who has travelled to the town from Malta, says, "why Iten? So I am a marathon runner and usually all marathons are dominated by Kenyans. So for me Kenya and Kenyans are champions, they are the world's best. When I compete in world championships, it is always dominated by Kenya. So, as a preference for my training camp, I wanted to go to Kenya."

Iten has been a temporary home to a string of athletics world champions. Among them are 2016 and 2020 Olympic gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge, and British Olympic champion Mo Farah.

Former world half marathon champion Lornah runs a centre in the town for athletes looking to improve their performance. "If you train at 2,400 meters high, your lungs expand, your red blood cells increase and so when you go to low altitude you feel like you are flying," she says.

Home to around 42,000 people, Iten was made a World Athletics Heritage Landmark in 2019.