Nyeri athletes turn to rearing quails to make ends meet

Athlete Grace Mumbi trains at Ruring’u Sports hostel on February 11, 2015. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI |

What you need to know:

  • Hard times seem to be the order of the day for the dozen athletes living at Ruring’u Sports hostel.

Athletes in Nyeri have been forced to rear quails and ducks to sustain themselves in the absence of regular competitions in the region.

Hard times seem to be the order of the day for the dozen athletes living at Ruring’u Sports hostel.

“As runners we need to participate in competitions, buy training kits and register in competitions and we cannot turn to begging every time a need arise. That is why we thought of ducks and quails,” said Paul Mwangi, an upcoming 10,000m runner.

The athletes said they, for instance, planned to sell a number of quails and ducks to raise money for the registration fee for the First Lady’s Marathon to be held on March 8.

“We need services like gym and massage but we cannot afford. No one care how we train and that is why we have come up with locally made gyms made of building blocks,” said Grace Mumbi, a 10km walk athlete.

The athletes blamed their poverty on lack of frequent competitions in the region where they could get a chance to win prize money.

During the visit, Daily Nation Sport found other runners repairing chicken pens.