I’ve been trying hard to arrange a visit to Kipchoge Stadium in Eldoret, where Eliud Kipchoge trains sometimes. Many of my running friends have met Eliud Kipchoge there doing the track sessions with his team and shared photos on Instagram. I want to do the same. But it looks like I’ll have to wait for another day.
Many Kenyan athletes here in kenya are concentrated and train in areas such as Eldoret area, Iten and Nandi. Today im writing about Eliud kipchoge and where he trains,
Kipchoge trains at Kaptagat and if you make a quick search about kaptagat Kenya you will find out that Kaptagat is a settlement in Uasin Gishu County, in the southwestern part of Kenya. This part of the country, where the two counties of Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet County share a border, is used by the majority of Kenyan professional long-distance runners to train for professional competition.
I read in an article from INEOS as to why Eliud chose kaptagat, Eliud Kipchoge selected Kaptagat as his base from the year 2002. At an altitude of about 7.800 feet you find perfect conditions for distance training. Kaptagat at the prime training grounds but with a lot less destruction and congestion than the famous town of Iten. Kaptagat is still a secret escape.
For me Kaptagat area is a place where I spent sometime of my childhood since my uncles live around the area. Up to now the area is still forested with very cool atmosphere since it boarders the Kaptagat forest. The government still allows the community there to graze their animals in the forest and also the running influence has led to setting of athletic camps allowing Kenyan athletes to train in and around the forest.
Eliud Kipchoge training
At the heart of Global Sports Communication training camp Kaptagat – situated around 25km North West of the city of Eldoret. is where Eliud kipochoge trains. At this camp Kipchoge and his team follows a routine for their training.
As the famous Kipchoge quote; ”There is a formula: 100% of me is nothing compared to 1% of the whole team. And that’s teamwork” I think this is the main reason Eliud loves training as a team.
Kipchoges camp is basic but has everything him and his team needs for training. The locals who are mostly from Keiyo(kalenjin subtribe) in kaptagat were first afraid when they saw training camps being set up in their area, they thought their basic rural life will be interfered with but as the time goes they have experienced so much positive things. From their children joining the camps in running to getting scholarships and studying abroad.
So here is the cycle of training for Eliud kipchoge and team in Kaptagat Kenya;
Monday: Athletes return to camp this is after a weekend break to visit their families.
Tuesday: Marathon runners go for their track sessions at Moi University/ Eldoret university or Kipchoge stadium which is currently being renovated to host AFCON 2027 games.
Wednesday: Recovery day with strength and conditioning this may be inform of easy runs and stretching.
Thursday: Marathon runners go on a long run. You may want to know where do kenyan athletes do their long runs; long runs may be done in the kaptagat road, Moiben road and kaptuli road which always have minimal traffic.
Friday: More recovery and exercises.
Saturday: Tough speed or fartlek session.
The cycle repeats every week, month after month as Patrick Sang, Eliuds coach says Kaptagat is like the second home of athletes.
The community of Kaptagat has grown economically because of the presence of Eliud Kipchoge and the influence of training in the area. Kaptagat currently attracts so many athletes who come to train. From an area which relied heavily on farming to a training hub which not only relies on farming but training and athletics.
Let me know what you think about Eliud kipchoge training in the comment section below or you can contact me if you have any more questions