On Monday Anders, Isak, Paul and I rode the morning matatu to visit Rashid’s house. Rashid is my neighbor in Iten. He is hoping to go to college in the U.S., and I’ve been helping him prepare for the SAT and contact coaches. He took the SAT in Nairobi on Saturday and then went home for a few days. He invited me to come visit him.
Rashid met us in the city of Kabarnet, about an hour from Iten. We had to travel about 8km farther to the turnoff to Rashid’s village, Kapkemoi. We rode in a van that was filled with flour, baking powder, and oil. The van stopped to unload all the food. After being told this was a bakery, I bought a bag of “Rock Cakes,” which were actually a hard roll that was still warm from the oven. Despite the name they were quite good.
We got out of the van shortly afterward at the turnoff for Kapkemoi. Rashid, Anders and I would run, while Isak and Paul would walk to the village, 3km away. The running was quite different from Iten. First of all, it was seriously hilly. Second, the area is much more sparsely populated. We passed mostly through forest. Our route, which was part of former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat’s standard runs, passed Rashid’s village and descended to another village. We turned and climbed back towards Kapkemoi.
Rashid took this picture after dashing by.
Rashid pointed out a sudden left turn up a very steep hill. We were climbing Morop, one of the more prominent hills in the Tugen Hills. The climb was much like Manastash Ridge, but without the moderate parts and at 7000 ft. Rashid, who is much faster than either Anders or me, bounded ahead, took pictures as we passed, bounded ahead again, and repeated this several times. I was breathing hard as it was a struggle to remain running, especially near the top where there is a scrambling section. Near the top I was stung by a bee on my left hamstring.
Lake Baringo from Morop
The view from the top was spectacular. The Tugen Hills are between the two branches of the Rift Valley. Morop, one of the highest points in the Tugen Hills, has panoramic views of both branches of the valley and the opposite sides. The Tugen Hills themselves are quite rugged. Rashid pointed out the villages of two of the fastest marathoners of all time: Geoffrey Muthai (2:03:02 2011 Boston) and Paul Tergat (2:04:55 2003 Berlin). Rashid also outlined some of Tergat’s training routes.
Kapkemoi village in the foreground from Morop
We ran carefully down the hill, and we met Isak and Paul back in Kapkemoi after about 65 minutes of running. Kapkemoi is a tiny town. The road is rough, and only few vehicles pass by each day. Kapkemoi is not on the electric grid. It is an idyllic little town, slightly lower than Iten. Bannanas, Mangoes and Papaya grew in the farms. We all walked down the hill past Kapkemoi Primary school, where the kids flooded out of the buildings at the sight of us white people. Rashid said that they might not have ever seen a white person before.
I told you it was idyllic! Note banana trees as well.
We arrived at Rashid’s “younger father’s” house. This was the house of his father’s younger brother. Rashid grew up here. His mother died when he was about 8. Rashid’s uncle is an army officer so has a very nice house which includes a solar panel. Kristin, Rashid’s aunt, served us chai and a delicious lunch of beans and rice. We relaxed for a while, and then took some pictures when Rashid’s cousins came home from school.
Rashid, his cousins, and aunt
It was time to head home, and we opted to cross Kirandich Dam. The reservoir was built by the Italians in the 1990s. This is the source of Kabarnet Spring water, which is sold widely in Kenya. A solid climb took us to the paved road, where we got a car to Kabarnet, and then a matatu home in time for dinner.
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