Kenya’s elite Mountain running athletes will have thrown their hats into the ring for the forthcoming Mount Longonot Trail Challenge scheduled for November 16th, 2024 at Longonot Park, Nakuru County.
The runners in the fray are the 2021 World Cup and 2023 World champion Patrick Kipng’eno who wants to impress on home soil.
The 2023 World Cup champion and the Golden trail fourth place finisher Philemon Mbogo will be in the race as a build up for the 2025 season.
The two times World Cup bronze medalistis Philaris Kisang is seeking to stamp her authority in her home country to showcase Kenyan women’s abilities of competing in mountain running.
The Mount Longonot Mountain race Local Organising Committee (LOC) members and Athletics Kenya (AK) President Jackson Tuwei expressed delight at the confirmation of the world’s top mountain runners in the contest.
“We are very delighted that some of the best mountain runners have confirmed for the race. This is a confirmation of the growing popularity of the race the world-over as well as the confidence the world mountain running family has in our ability to organise a world class event,” Tuwei said.
He said a host of other top class runners have signified interest in competing at this year’s event and that the LOC is busy sorting out some of the entries received.
“I think this year’s race will witness a larger number of world class mountain runners than in the previous editions,” he said.
The World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) president Tormo Saf who is in the country to grace the race, said this is the first and only World ranking event to be staged in Africa.
He said bids for the 2027 World Mountain Running Championship have been opened and challenged Kenya to place a bid.
“After Kenya being considered for a World ranking event which is one of the top WMRA global events in its international calendar of events, making us confident of Kenya’s ability to host the World championship,” he said.
Africa has never hosted the World Mountain Running Championship and if Kenya places a bid and gets considered it
will be the continent’s first ever event at the international stage.
“Nigeria had been awarded the hosting rights in 2014 but political instability in Africa’s most populous country forced WMRA to switch the event from Obudu to Casette di Massa in Italy,” said the president.
The Obudu Ranch Resort in Obudu, Cross River State was granted the right to host the 30th edition of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) championships in 2014.
