Over 10,000 athletes expected in improved Chepsaita Cross Country

More than 10,000 athletes are expected in the second edition of the Chepsaita Cross Country; a World Athletics gold label event slated for Saturday 7 December at the Chepsaita Secondary School in Eldoret.

The event was upgraded from silver to gold label, and the organizers are leaving no stone unturned in making it a resounding success.

Speaking on the progress, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Abraham Mutai expressed confidence in the team's work, noting that they were close to completion, with only a few final touches remaining.

“We are having our LOC meeting and we are now finalizing the course of the event. 90% of the course is ready, we have been watering it.

The course is very challenging and we are happy that we introduced new features and things are looking better now. The start line has been improved; it is almost 70 meters.

This time we are aiming at 10,000 athletes and we want to make sure that they run their best race,” Mutai offered.

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Once the coursework is done, Mutai noted that they will shift focus to the groundwork; the most demanding part of the preparations. He assured that the security of spectators would be taken care of.

“We are now moving all the planning to the ground. Starting next month, we will be on the ground to make sure we deliver a great event.

We want to ensure that safety issues and security of the spectators are taken care of and the involvement of the community in providing food for everyone who will be coming to the event,” he said.

On his side, Athletics Kenya (AK) Executive Member and Youth Development Chairman Barnaba Korir was proud that this year the event will attract over 30 per cent of the participants from countries such as Ethiopia, Morocco, Uganda, and Tanzania.

He however emphasized that 70 per cent of the slots will be reserved for local athletes to ensure that the race continues to nurture grassroots talent.

“Registration has started already and the chairman has said that this event is going to be big. We are also going to limit the numbers that will be competing.

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The categories that we are given; senior men and women, we cut at 800. Our idea is to ensure we give the local opportunities to local communities to earn from the race,” Korir started.

“We are ready for the event. Last year was great but we want to make it better. This event will be used to raise funds for students who cannot afford to pay their school fees. That is how we are giving the community a chance to be part of this program,” he concluded.

The competition features a range of categories, including Senior Men (10km), Senior Women (8km), Under-20 Men (8km), and Under-20 Women (6km).

Additionally, there are races for senior citizens and children, making it an inclusive event that welcomes athletes of all ages and abilities.