Entrepreneur cashes in on Kenya’s athletics prowess

Run with Kenyans CEO Wilson Kiriungi. Photo/Martin Mukangu 

By DAVID HERBLING, hdavid@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• Kenyan in US organises safari packages for American fans to train and meet athletes.

A Kenyan living in the US is cashing in from Kenya’s athletics prowess by designing sports safari packages which blends the traditional beach and bush safari with a running experience in the Rift Valley highlands.

Wilson Kiriungi, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is the brain behind Run with Kenyans – a company he founded in 2011 to bring both professional and recreational runners to Kenya for a sporty safari.

The idea to develop athletics safari packages was born out of Mr Kiriungi’s experience abroad where he noticed that many Americans regarded Kenya as the ‘Mecca of long distance running’ and cherished an opportunity to learn the secrets of its athletes.

As a resident of Boston, the Kenyan entrepreneur had watched his country mates take multiple gold medals in the Boston Marathon — and the near fanatical following Kenya enjoyed in what is billed as the world biggest major race.

“My interactions with the Boston Marathon fans showed that most of the diehard fans were willing to spend to follow their champions who were mostly Kenyans,” said the 35-year-old entrepreneur told the Business Daily.

“Running is the only sport where you mix the champions and fans in a truly participatory way, providing a great experience for both,” said the man who emigrated to the US in 2001.

Kenyan athletes have won seven out of the last 10 Boston Marathon races, offering a perfect backdrop for Mr Kiriungi to recruit running enthusiasts to make holiday trip to what is dubbed a ‘pilgrimage visit’ to the cradle land of long distance running.

Mr Kiriungi went on to organise his first running safari in 2012, bringing to Kenya a group of 25 tourists to experience the athletics heritage of East Africa’s biggest sporting holiday destination.

He also had another group last year and plans to bring about 40 holidaymakers for a safari to Kenya this year.

The 10-day marathon safari costs $3,600 (Sh306,000) and participants are taken through a comprehensive programme that involves a visit to an athletics training camp, homestay with local athletes and safari tour to Kenya’s game parks and reserves.

The guests are usually taken to the High Altitude Training Centre in Iten — arguably the home to Kenyan athletics champions — where they get to practise side by side with seasoned athletes who hold world records and major titles.

“There is a mystery as to why Kenyans are great on the track. The tour also provides insights on winning athletes. Some say it’s due to the barefoot running others say it’s the diet,” says Mr Kiriungi.

During their stay at the training centre, the holidaymakers get to participate in morning jogs and sample the spectacular scenery.

The homestay sessions bring the visiting athletes face to face with what Kenyan runners eat, drink as well as a peek preview into their personal lifestyles and what makes them tick.

Other activities include visiting St Patrick’s Iten wall of fame — which lists the many athletics heroes produced by the school as well as workshops on the history and achievements.