The Kenyan Cross Country Championships is an annual

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

competition that serves as the

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

for Kenya. It is organised by

Athletics Kenya Athletics Kenya (AK) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (track and field) in Kenya. It is a member of World Athletics and Confederation of African Athletics. AK organises athletics competitions held in Kenya. It also sends Kenyan tea ...

and has permit race status from the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...

. It is typically held in February in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

, the country's capital, and entrants are almost exclusively from Kenya. Entrants represent their home region or one of the high level national works teams, such as

Kenya Defence Forces The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) ( sw, Majeshi ya Ulinzi ya Kenya, stylized as "KENYA ARMED FORCES" capitalized on its coat of arms) are the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya. They are made up of the Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air ...

Kenya Police ) , formedyear = 1906 , formedmonthday = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = approx. 101,000= , volunteers = , budget = , country = Kenya , ...

, Prisons or Universities. These teams host their own annual team championships in order to decide their selections for the national event. Also known as the KCB Nairobi Cross, the event doubles as the national trials for international competitions, such as the

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

and

African Cross Country Championships The African Cross Country Championships is a regional cross country running competition for athletes from Africa. History The competition had a one off edition in 1985 in Nairobi, Kenya, and the medallists were mostly from the host nation.

. Matching international programmes, four races feature at the championships: senior men's and women's races (10 km), a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

men's race (8 km) and a junior women's race (6 km). Senior men's and women's races distances had been 12 km and 8 km respectively until 2015. Athletes most often receive selection for their performances in these races, although the national governing body may opt to send athletes on their form outside of this race. A short race for senior men and women was also present on the championships' one-day programme between 1998 and 2006, as short races were contested at the annual world championships during this period.Kenyan Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-06. The event attracts a very high standard of athletes, reflecting Kenya's strength long-distance running. The growth of the championships in the 1980s coincided with the country's increasing prowess in the cross country discipline, which has seen it win all but four of the men's team world titles since 1986 and numerous women's team titles since 1990.IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2015 Guiyang Facts & Figures
IAAF. Retrieved on 2016-04-07.

Paul Tergat Paul Kibii Tergat (born 17 June 1969) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished l ...

is the most successful athlete of the championships, having won the men's race on four occasions. Jane Ngotho is the most successful woman, courtesy of her three straight victories from 1988 to 1990.

Rose Cheruiyot Rose Jelagat Cheruiyot (born 21 July 1976) is a runner from Kenya. She competed in the 5000 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 2000 Summer Olympics. She is married to Ismael Kirui. The couple completed an unusual double, when they both wo ...

was the only athlete to win both long and short national titles in her career, taking the long race in 1995 before become short course champion in 2001.

Past winners

Senior race

*The fastest Kenyan in 2007 was Hellen Musyoka who was runner-up in 27:07.0 minutes.

Short race

Statistics

;Most successful athletes *

: 1992, 1995, 1996, 2000 *

Paul Kipkoech Paul Kipkoech (January 6, 1963 – March 16, 1995) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres and cross-country running. He became world champion over 10,000 m in 1987. Kipkoech was born in Kapsabet. In 1986 he ran ...

: 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 * Jane Ngotho: 1988, 1989, 1990 *

Paul Koech Paul Koech (25 June 1969 – 3 September 2018) was a Kenyan distance and marathon runner. He participated at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1998 and finished in first place. He was also a regular competitor in the IAAF World C ...

: 1997, 1998, 1999 * Bedan Karoki Muchiri: 2012, 2014, 2015

References

;List of winners
Kenyan Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-04-06. *Civai, Franco & Evans, Kip Evans (2017-02-26)

Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved 2019-07-18.

External links

Athletics Kenya official website
{{National championships in athletics Athletics competitions in Kenya National cross country running competitions Sport in Nairobi February sporting events Cross country running in Kenya Annual sporting events in Kenya