The Shoe4Africa 5 km is an annual women's

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ...

event over five kilometres that is held on Christmas Eve in the village of Iten,

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

. Many world marathon stars have run this event. The 2012 Boston Marathon winner Sharon Cherop came second in the 2006 event and will be the 2012 official starter. For

Mary Keitany Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (born 18 January 1982) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. She is the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01. As of November 2022, she plac ...

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically he ...

champion 2012, this event was her breakthrough race; finishing one place outside the prize money (21st). Returning home she vowed to train harder and not miss the prize money again. Three, unrelated, world champions;

Lornah Kiplagat Lornah Kiplagat (born 1 May 1974) is a Dutch professional long-distance runner. She was born in Kabiemit, Rift Valley Province, Kenya and came to the Netherlands in 1999. She gained Dutch citizenship in 2003 and has competed for the Netherlan ...

Florence Kiplagat Florence Jebet Kiplagat (born 27 February, 1987) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion, having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships ...

, and

Edna Kiplagat Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat (born 15 November 1979) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the 2011 and 2013 World Champion in the marathon. She established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and N ...

, have all competed in this race over the last few years. Official starters have included

Janeth Jepkosgei Janeth Jepkosgei Busienei (born 13 December 1983) is a Kenyan middle distance runner and former world champion. Early career Janeth, nicknamed "Eldoret Express" is from Kabirirsang, near Kapsabet. Famous athletes Wilson Kipketer and Wilfre ...

Mo Farah Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a British long-distance runner. His ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever ...

Moses Tanui Moses Tanui (born 20 August 1965 in Sugoi Nandi District, Kenya) is a former Kenyan long-distance runner who won the gold medal over 10,000 metres at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo. Biography At the 1993 World Championships in ...

Moses Kiptanui Moses Kiptanui (born 1 October 1970) is a Kenyan middle and long distance athlete mostly famous for 3,000 m steeplechase in which he was the number one ranked athlete from 1991 to 1995 and three time IAAF World Champion. Kiptanui was al ...

, Ezekiel Kemboi,

Daniel Komen Daniel Kipngetich Komen (born 17 May 1976) Komen is rumoured to be three years older than officially recognised. is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. Remembered for his rivalry with Haile Gebrselassie, Komen's most notable achievement ...

and Phyllis Keino amongst others. Many of the village's elite athletes come out to work and volunteer at this event. The first edition was run in 2005 when

Doris Changeywo Doris Chepkwemoi Changeywo (born 12 December 1984) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 10,000 metres and cross country running. She began to enjoy success in athletics in 2006, becoming the East African ...

won the event that was then a 10 km event, the following year the 5 km distance became standardized. Since its inception the event has become the largest women's only race in Kenya. The 2006 event coincided with the launch of an HIV/AIDS awareness program, including the opening of a testing centre. The field is normally capped at 1,100 entrants. In a special peace celebration, the December 2008 event was moved to the Kibera slums 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 ...

, and 5,300 women ran. The 2011 event was won in a new course record of 16:17 by 2012 Olympian

Joyce Chepkirui Joyce Chepkirui (born 20 August 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events. She established herself as a half marathon runner, winning races in Granollers, Bogotá and Gothenburg. She set a best of 1:06:19 h ...

. The route starts outside the High Altitude Training Center runs towards Iten town before veering off road onto dirt tracks over an extremely hilly loop. The course altitude is at 2345 meters above sea level. The 2012 Shoe4Africa Women's 5k was held on Christmas Eve and won by Mercy Kibarus. The no entry fee and prize money encourages newcomers as elites. The Shoe4Africa Women's 5k is an important spring board for talented runners in the Rift Valley and has launched the running career of future world champions. The event was won by Mercy Cherotich Kibarus, the 2012 Marseille Cassis Road Race champion. The charity's 2012 event coincided with breaking the ground for the new Shoe4Africa Children's Hospital facility in Eldoret on New Year's Day. The event was cancelled in 2013 after the race founder, Toby Tanser, suffered head injuries in New York City. The race resumed in 2014 with Selah Jepleting besting over 950 other women to the line finishing in 16:44. In 2015, Eunice Chebichii of Nandi County, representing Bahrain won the 10th edition of the Shoe4Africa 5k in 16:24.2 and narrowly missed out on the course record. Defending champion Selah Jepleting finished in 12th place.

Statistics

*All timing by Senior National Kenyan coach, IAAF-certified, Joseph K. Ngure

References

External links

2008 Race report from IAAF
{{Athletics in Kenya 5K runs Recurring sporting events established in 2005 Athletics competitions in Kenya Sport in Rift Valley Province 2005 establishments in Kenya