Marathon You Can Do It

Iten is a tiny rural town located in the heart of Great Rift Valley province in Kenya. It has a population of 4000. The nearest major town is Eldoret.

Iten claim to fame is production of world beating athletes. Some of the talent who horned their talent on the earth roads of Iten include the world 800m record holder, Wilson Kipketer (Denmark), Bernard Lagat (USA), former Olympic 3000m champion Mathews Birir, former Commonwealth 800m champion Japheth Kimutai, the Chirchir brothers—Cornelius and William, former world 3000m steeplechase record holder and champion, Boit Kipketer, former world 10,000m champion, Sally Barsosio and former Olympic 1500m champion Peter Rono.

Iten High Altitude.

Iten lies between 8000 – 9000 ft above sea level. High enough to boost oxygen-carrying capacity, but not so high that it’s impossible to run quickly.

Iten Weather / Climate

According to a writer who has visited the area. The climate is also perfect for running: It’s seldom colder than 50 degrees or hotter than 80 degrees, it’s never humid, and there are 12 hours of daylight throughout the year.

Famous Training Camps In Iten

St Patrick High Iten

This is the oldest camp in the area: Opened its doors in the 1970s. It is run by an Irish Catholic Priest A.K.A Coach Colm O?onnel, a burly man who admits he has never worked out. This is a no frills camp targeting local teens. The teens get education plus coaching.

Lorna Kiplangat

This one targets foreign athletes. It has all amenities of a modern training camp: Clean accommodation, a gym plus sauna. For more details, see official website.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Bernard Lagat, Burly Man, Catholic Priest, Claim To Fame, Cornelius, Great Rift Valley, High Altitude, Hours Of Daylight, Japheth, Lorna, Mathews, Olympic 1500m, Oxygen Carrying Capacity, Rift Valley Province, Sally Barsosio, Sea Level, St Patrick, Training Camps, Weather Climate, Wilson Kipketer

Meb Keflezighi won the 2009 New York Marathon. Meb Keflezighi became the first US man to win the New York City Marathon since 1982. Meb has come a long way from being just a good runner to a great runner.

In 2000 summer Olympic games in Sydney he finished a disappointing 12th at 10,000 metres, a race that was won by Haile Gebrselassie.

After Sydney his coach, Bob Larsen realised if Meb is to compete with the East African runners he had to change his training tactics.

The Training Regimen That Boosted Running Speed and Power

According to an old New York times article of Meb Keflezighi, In 2001, Larsen persuaded Keflezighi to begin training at the 7,550-foot altitude of Mammoth Lakes to increase his oxygen-carrying capacity. Shortly after his first training regimen here, he set the American record of 27:13.98 at 10,000 meters.

Training at altitude took Meb from a good athlete to a great athlete

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Altitude Training, Athlete, Bob Larsen, Coach Bob, East Africans, Foot Altitude, Haile Gebrselassie, Mammoth Lakes, Marathon Training, Meb Keflezighi, New York City Marathon, New york marathon, New York Times, Olympic Games, Oxygen Carrying Capacity, Realised, Runners, Summer Olympic Games, Training Regimen, York City Marathon, York Times Article