Running for Africa

In Kenya, Lornah Kiplagat learned to run because she was always late for school. The reason for this was she had to start her day milking her father’s cattle at first light. She didn’t yet know that running those sandy paths—22 kilometres or 14 miles between the cows and her grade school—would lay the foundation for a career as a top athlete. Nor did she have a clue that she would later help other girls get their educations.

Kiplagat, now a naturalized Dutch citizen, is among the world’s best long-distance runners. She’s the world record holder for the 20K and half-marathon, European record holder for the 15K and is training hard in the mountains of Kenya, not far from the sandy paths she once used to run to school. She’s dreaming of a spot at the Olympic Games in Beijing, just as the local children are dreaming of a better future.

She still runs into kids along those paths who are on their way to school, as well as kids who are idly hanging around. It’s logical, according to Kiplagat, that so many Africans run their way to becoming the world’s best athletes: “They’re running because they’re poor.” At the start of her sports career in 1999, she set up a training centre in Kenya just for them. Young girls train there for a future in athletics, but the most important goal is education and emancipation. After all, Kiplagat says, “Education is the best type of development aid.”

Twenty-seven Kenyan girls are studying at American universities thanks to subsidies from the foundation. Sometimes girls who attend Kiplagat’s school also end up in the world of top sports: Former student and athlete Hilda Kibet—now also a Dutch citizen—is one of the world’s top three runners.

Why only girls? “Girls are the future leaders of Africa,” according to Kiplagat. “If they’re emancipated, they’ll raise their children with a positive attitude and therefore help build a better Africa.” An Africa, perhaps, where the children who are now running to school will form the foundation for economic and social development.

Find out more: lornahkiplagatfoundation.org