Nestled six hours northwest of Nairobi, Kenya, sits the small town of Iten. At 8,000 feet above sea level, Iten is marked with lush vegetation and striped with Kenya’s iconic red clay roads. Running champions are made here, on the edge of the Rift Valley.
Specifically, the region centers around Eldoret, 20 miles from Iten, which has become the epicenter of long-distance running in Kenya since the country began to rise to prominence on the world stage in the 1960s. Most runners come to Iten to elevate their running in training camps with a desire to compete in the world’s most competitive and prestigious races thousands of miles away. That includes scores of Kenyan athletes, but also, at any given time, a handful of international runners seeking inspiration and, at least temporarily, uncomplicated focus on their training.
Two American runners, marathoner Nell Rojas and 10K specialist Natosha Rogers, have been training in Iten this month, in the hopes of soaking up the greatness that surrounds them. Rojas, a Nike-sponsored athlete who lives in Boulder, Colorado, is taking part in a two-week camp with the Sweat Elite…
