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Returning to the land where the Braveheart Runners team have laid their foundations, this episode takes us back to Iten in Kenya. A new team which was selected in December 2022 reunite for a week of running, eating, and learning more about what life as a Braveheart Runner looks like.
This time round, we explore the ins and outs of life as a Kenyan runner and the daily schedule involved. Early morning runs, recovery tea, and painful massages are just a few examples of what happens in the day-to-day life of an elite athlete in Iten.
Rising with the sun is a daily occurrence for the Braveheart Runners. The roads of Iten are filled with runners heading out in their tracksuits for their morning run or session. Sessions will either take place on track, on the famous paved and flat Moiben Road, or on the red dirt roads of the area. Anything from intervals to fartlek to tempo can be on the menu for the day and most athletes belong to a training group which follows a weekly structure.
The athletes pour everything into these sessions. Their drive and determination to succeed is unrivalled and their effort and focus can be seen on their faces as they come into vision. After finishing their run or workout, the runners will head back home or to a local tea shop for a fixing of incredibly milky and sugary tea paired with mandazi or chapati; fried dough perfect for replacing lost carbohydrates.
An afternoon run is also on the plan for most athletes. Generally slower and shorter than the morning run, it is a way for the legs to recover as well as gain greater fitness. Time between the morning and afternoon run is not all leisure though. Recovery is fully embraced whether it be an excruciating massage to relieve muscle soreness and improve circulation, or an afternoon nap to help restore energy.
Aside from training, the Braveheart Runners participated in team bonding activities, got instructed on how to use new GPS watches and Strava, and also advice on coaching and nutrition. The structure that Braveheart Runners has set up for these runners in Iten, is to help develop the athletes and give them opportunities to then move onto the next level as they experience lots of things for the first time.
The increasingly bad reputation that Kenya is getting on doping is not something that is taken lightly within the team. Educating the Braveheart Runners on the implications of doping was one of the most important meetings of the week, and this was reinforced throughout the whole camp. Anti-doping is a topic that both SCOTT and Braveheart Runners take seriously and will not tolerate.
In April, a select team of Braveheart Runners will travel to Switzerland to take part in some road races in the cities of Lausanne, Geneva, and Bern. We look forward to welcoming them at our HQ office as well as cheering them on in the races.
