Marathoners look to Kenya's altitude to help them soar to new levels

Nestled in western Kenya's highlands, 2,200 meters above sea level, Eldoret — a six-hour drive from Nairobi that crosses both the equator and the East African Rift Valley — wears its moniker "City of Champions" with quiet pride.

Here, 14 Chinese middle- and long-distance runners led by Chinese coach Xiao Li are immersed in a rigorous three-month winter training camp, far removed from urban distractions.

The delegation includes the 19th Asian Games men's marathon champion He Jie.

READ MORE: 7,700 runners race in Dead Sea marathon

They follow in the footsteps of Kenyan legends such as marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and two-time Olympic gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge, both shaped by this oxygen-thin highland region.

"This region is our nation's beating heart of endurance sports," said Barnaba Korir, youth development director of Athletics Kenya, gesturing toward the mist-shrouded highlands.

Scientific studies attribute the area's dominance to its population's genetically higher proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibers — an evolutionary adaptation to high-altitude living that enhances oxygen efficiency. Combined with an average elevation of 2,200 meters, it has what sports physiologists regard as perfect conditions for endurance athleticism.

More than 120 professionally managed training camps dot the region, their numbers swelling annually to meet global demand. Each year, up to 500 elite athletes from Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and beyond migrate to these highland sanctuaries, transforming rural trails into international runways.

For Xiao, now in her eighth consecutive year organizing high-altitude training in this Kenyan city, Eldoret's magic lies in its simplicity.

"The environment is clean and distraction-free. Athletes maintain stricter routines, focus better on training, and complete high-volume programs," she said.

The training program, running from December, blends track workouts, specialized drills and endurance sessions. Athletes train alongside world-class squads and local pacemakers recruited by the Chinese team.

At 5:30 am, when the Chinese team embarks on 40-kilometer runs through the highland chill, they find their companions: Kenyan athletes casually overtaking them, sharing nods of mutual respect.

"Every Thursday you'll see over a hundred athletes from different camps running through Eldoret's farmlands and pastures," Xiao said. "The training atmosphere here is irreplaceable."

Run until the end

Three-time Kenya trainee He Jie, who smashed China's men's marathon record (2:06:57) last year, is preparing for his season debut at the Tokyo Marathon this March.

"In Africa there's less noise," he said. "My life becomes three points: training, eating, sleeping. Marathon requires absolute discipline. Here, you have no choice but to commit. No entertainment, just relentless focus."

He and a dozen other Chinese runners had already undergone a one-month training in Kenya in August 2022 under a program of China-Kenya sports cooperation.

"I had the opportunity to have direct instruction from Kipchoge Keino, the world marathon legend, who is my icon. He taught me the essence of marathon — the strongest will to run, run, run until the end," He said.

At the training center, He met many young and middle-aged runners, all of whom deeply impressed him with their determination to win a world championship, apart from their deep love for marathon.

ALSO READ: Kenyans harvest hope with Chinese technology

"The local kids were all very talented, very devoted to the sports. I found kinship with them because both of us were changing our lives through running, from poor rural kids to the winners of world championships."

Xinhua contributed to this story.