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Kangogo, Chesir out to keep Safaricom Iten road race titles

Albert Kangogo on his way to victory during the Safaricom Iten 10km Road Race on August 8, 2015. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA |

What you need to know:

  • Chesir, 23, was the fastest woman in 10km last year, having ran the world leading time of 30:41 in Berlin
  • Chesir will renew rivalry with Gladys Yator and Viola Chelagat whom she edged out to second and third place, respectively, in Iten.

Albert Kangogo and Gladys Chesir will put their titles on the line at the seventh edition of Safaricom Iten 10km road race in Elgeyo Marakwet County on Saturday.

Chesir, who in March finished sixth at the World Half Marathon in March in Cardiff, Wales, won the women’s race last year in 34 minutes and 40.3 seconds, while Kangogo took the crown in the men’s race in 30 minutes and 00.04 seconds.

Chesir, 23, was the fastest woman in 10km last year, having ran the world leading time of 30:41 in Berlin, which placed her in the all-time top 10 over the distance. Chesir, the 2014 Ndakaini Half Marathon winner, also has good memories from India last year where she finished third in the Bangalore and Delhi half marathons last year. She also won silver for Kenya in 10,000m at last year’s African Games in Congo, Brazzaville.

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Chesir will renew rivalry with Gladys Yator and Viola Chelagat whom she edged out to second and third place, respectively, in Iten.

Kangogo, 28, will face the likes of 2016 World Indoor 3,000m bronze medallist Augustine Choge and Cornelius Kangogo.

The race will be flagged off at the Eldoret-Iten road between Elgeyo-Marakwet and Uasin Gishu counties at 8.30am. The finishing will be at Iten grounds.

The Iten event, which is the second in the Safaricom Athletics Series Long Distance Races category, has received Sh1 million sponsorship from Safaricom.

“We expect a larger turn out than last year based on the interest and enquiries we have been receiving for the last one month,” said organiser Kibet Biwott.

Winners of this year’s race will take home Sh40,000, second place finishers Sh30,000 and those that come third Sh15,000.

From Iten, the Safaricom Athletics Series will head to Kisii for the Kisii Half Marathon next weekend before moving to Mombasa for the Mombasa International Marathon.

Other races in the Series include; Ndalat Gaa Cross Country, Madoka Half Marathon, Imenti South Road Race and Kisumu Town Marathon, which will wind up this year’s edition in December.

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