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From national unrest to an open race appearance
Kenyan athletes have come a long way to be in Portland; their country has come farther.
Preview by Dave Devine, senior editor DyeStat | ESPN RISE
 For the last two years, the Nike Cross National open races have served as a showcase and proving ground for some of the most talented young runners Kenya has to offer. This year, when the ten visiting Kenyan athletes toe the line for Saturday’s two open races, they’ll mark another milestone on a journey that began long before they boarded their plane for the United States. Less than a year ago, shortly after the 2007 Nike Team Nationals had drawn to a close, the normally stable East African nation was plunged into turmoil in the wake of a contested late December election.
The violence that flared in Kenya in the early days of 2008 fell largely along ethnic lines, with the Kalenjin minority predominently throwing their political support behind opposition leader Raila Odinga, a Luo, and voting against incumbent President Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu. When the election committee declared Kibaki a narrow winner, there were immediate and vociferous charges of vote tampering and other forms of election manipulation. The nation plunged into mayhem as ethnic clashes left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands more fleeing their homes in fear of ethnic retaliation.
Among those killed was Olympic 400-meter runner Lucas Sang, while world marathon champion Luke Kibet barely survived an attack by an angry mob. There was no indication that the country’s celebrated runners were specifically targeted, but they were by no means spared the indiscriminate violence that ripped through Kenya.
In the days immediately following the worst upheaval, Toby Tanser, a New York-based founder of the charity Shoe-4-Africa who was in Kenya at the time, told an Associated Press reporter, "Every runner has a story about seeing homes burning and people running about with bows and arrows, it's pretty unnerving stuff. Running really did grind to a halt in Kenya."
The Rift Valley town of Iten, where some of Kenya’s finest runners have been schooled and coached at St. Patrick’s High School, appears to have dodged the worst of the carnage, but other areas in the Valley were not so fortunate. Even within the protective walls of the school, students feared for the safety of family and friends living elsewhere.
At this year’s NXN, St. Patrick’s High School is providing--for the first time--the five boys comprising Kenya’s entry in that open race. The girls’ team hails from Riruta Central High School on the outskirts of Nairobi, another area wracked with unrest in the days following the election. Both teams feature a mix of nationally- and internationally-tested talent, and both represent, by their mere presence at Portland Meadows, the hope-filled lengths Kenya has traveled since the dark days of January 2008.
The Kenyan boys’ teams, in particular, have been a wall of consistency in these open races. They scored a perfect 15 points in both previous incarnations, and this year’s squad features a line-up every bit as talented as their predecessors. Senior Eliud Kipserem and junior Nickson Chepseba would seem to be the leaders, with nearly identical 5k PR’s of 14:21. Chepseba has the edge in 1500 PRs, and also brings an 8:13 personal best for 3k to the table. Throw in 8:59 steepler Stanley Tanui, 3:53/1:54 talent Eric Kiprono and frosh Dominic Cheruiyot with a 30:12 10k, and this group would be a handful for most college teams, much less the high school clubs who will oppose them in the open race. The fact that the weather forecast for Saturday calls for dry, 50-degree conditions, as opposed to the chilled and soggy mess which typically confronts the Kenyans, and the cards are stacked even more favorably towards the visitors from Iten.
 While the Kenyan girls pack has been slightly more penetrable than their male counterpart, with winning scores of 23 and 55 in ’06 and ’07, this year’s group from Riruta Central packs a punch with a pair of medalists from last summer’s World Junior Championships in Poland. Elizabeth Mueni (right, photorun.net) garnered the silver medal in the 3k steeple, with a best of 9:36, while Nelly Chebet (above, photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) was a bronze medalist in the women’s 5k, with a PR of 16:06. Chebet was the national HS champion in 19:01, with Mueni 6th in 19:05. The Riruta Girls also feature Cythia Cherop and Jackline Chepkirui, the 7th and 8th place finishers from that national high school meet, and 2:12 800-meter runner Dorcas Chepkemoi.
With the additional of top individuals to the NXN Championship races, it’s even less likely that an elite-level US high schooler will be present in the open races to offer a serious threat to the top-end Kenyans, but their presence at the national meet has been a popular addition since they were first invited in 2006. The young Africans and their American hosts typically forge friendships in the pre- and post-race weekend activities, and for a few fleeting minutes during the actual competition, the visiting contingent offers US fans an opportunity to view potential future world distance stars up close.
And this year, with the unrest in Kenya still a fresh scar on the national psyche, their presence will have a special poignancy, given the great lengths their country has traveled in the last eleven months.
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KENYA BOYS
| KENYA GIRLS
| St. Patrick's Boys High School
Top boys school in the country. Located in Iten in the famous highlands of Kenya. Has produced several World champions and top middle distance runners.
Coach - Samuel Keitany.
Nickson Chepseba, Junior
-3000 metres, Gold, National High School Track
Championships 8:13:1:pb
-1500m, Silver, National High School Track Championships
(3:46:8) pb
-5000m High School Track Regionals 14:20:5:pb
Eliud Kipserem, Senior
-1500m 3:49:6 pb High School Track Regionals
-5000m 14:21:0 pb
-8km High School Cross Country Regionals
Stanley Tanui, Junior
-3000m SC 8:59:03 High School Track Regionals
-8k High School Cross Country Regionals
Dominic Cheruiyot, Freshman
-10,000m ( 30:12:0 ) High School Track Regionals
Eric Kiprono Sophomore
-1500m 3:52:6 pb High School Track Regionals
-800m 1:54:0 pb High School Track Regionals | Riruta Central Girls High School
Top girls school in Kenya. Located in the outskirts of Nairobi. Coach - Greg Kilonzo
DORCAS CHEPKEMOI
-National HS Track Championships, 3rd , 800m, 2.12.
JACKLINE CHEPKIRUI
-2008 National HS Cross-Country, 8th, 19:21:38
CYTHIA CHEROP
-National HS Track Championships,3rd, 3000m
-National HS Cross Country Championships, 7th,19:11
NELLY CHEBET
-National HS Cross Country Championships, 1st, 19:01
-Silver medalist, Eastern and Central Africa Junior Regionals, 3000m, 8:57:00
-Bronze medalist, World Junior Championship in Poland 5000m, 15:46
ELIZABETH MUENI
-National HS Cross Country Championships, 6th, 19:05
-Gold medalist, Africa Junior Athletics Championships, 3000m steeple, 10:02
-Silver medalist, World Junior Championship in Poland, 3000m steeple, 9:36:00
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Prior Years Open Races
2007
Boys: Kenya 15, Vista Murrieta CA 56
Girls: Kenya 55, Dana Hills CA 86
Kenyans, Californians run off with blustery Open races - Dave Devine story
The Kenyans: Showcase For The Perfect Runners - Marc Bloom story
2006
Boys: Kenya 15, El Toro CA 100
Girls: Kenya 23, Gig Harbor WA 82
Kenya do it? Yes, they did - Marc Bloom story
Gig Harbor WA wanted to show the NTN selection committee they were wrong - Brandon Miles story
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