Peter Njenga
23 May 2006
Nairobi — IT IS NO LONGER A SECRET: More Kenyan athletes are active in the lucrative road races around the world than in track races, and with good reason.
Sample this. Paul Koech, a Prisons warder won $2.5 for winning the 100 metres dash under hot, humid and energy-sapping conditions at the Mombasa municipal stadium recently. Koech showed no emotion as he pocketed the small brown envelope stuffed with the equivalent of Ksh170.
The following day Philip Kemei raked in $700 for winning the Mombasa International Marathon in 2:11:6 hours.
The Mombasa marathon is among the poorest paying city races in the world. But a wiser Koech now has an opportunity to compete for the real prize money enjoyed by his better known compatriots who have earned up to $2 million in numerous city races around the world this year alone.
This scenario represents the reality of athletics in Kenya, by providing the contrasting profiles of track and road races.
Kemei's time in Mombasa - 2:11:6 hours - is the fastest on Kenyan soil and at 33 and with enough exposure, he has a few more years to earn decent money in appearance fees in the international circuit.
HIS FIRST ATTEMPT IN A 42km race yielded position 36 during the Standard Chartered Marathon last year.
His record breaking time in Mombasa is a sure ticket to invites from race promoters. This is his one chance to join the exclusive club of super earners who command as much as $100,000 appearance fee per race in London, New York, Chicago, Boston and Berlin road races.
Rewarding winning track athletes goes back to colonial days when runners were given hoes, lantern lamps, blankets and utensils. Now everyone prefers plain cash. However, as the culture of giving prizes waned so did standards of local competitions leading to events such as the Commonwealth and All Africa Games falling out of favour.
Many Kenyans are running away from track events to concentrate on road races for obvious reasons. Money.
The 2005/06 season kicked off last October with the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, which had a prize kitty of $100,000. Others entered the bank's sponsored races in Singapore, Mumbai and Hong Kong, dubbed the Greatest Race on Earth where they shared $1.41 million in this circuit which concluded in February.
Track runners were also lined up for Melbourne Commonwealth Games build-up meetings and after four months of competition - with little prize money on offer - 30 of them travelled to Melbourne to represent the country. They were entitled to a paltry daily allowance of $120.
On their return, they were applauded, and give a token of appreciation of $300 each from the state before returning to their daily grind of practice.
Meanwhile, four road races organised by athletes and independent promoters paid out more than $20,000, drawing a bigger turnout than any meet organised by Athletics Kenya.
Runners with big dreams saved their energies and qualified for the World Cross Country Championships where more than $500,000 was at stake. Ethiopia and Kenya shared out the money almost equally.
In April, the best earners of the season - Felix Limo, Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Martin Lel, Benjamin Maiyo, Rita Jeptoo and Susan Chepkemei shared out close to $500,000 for dominating the big three road races of the year in London, Boston and Rotterdam.
Winners in London and Boston, Limo and Cheruiyot, are leading in the newly introduced World Marathon Series that offers a top cash prize of $1 million. Runners earn points in every race they compete in London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, World Championships and the Olympic Games in a period of two years.
THIS IS MEANT TO WOO the best runners to the World Championships and the Olympics as part of a global effort at maintaining the high level of competition in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) events.
"Winning one road race is better than one on the track," said Cheruiyot, this year's Boston winner.
"We are certainly worried by this trend. Even the IAAF does not know how to stop the exodus of athletes from the track to the marathon," said Athletics Kenya secretary David Okeyo.
The IAAF introduced prize money in its competitions while Athletics Kenya is still struggling to find a sponsor.
"There is very little we can do to stop athletes from choosing the distances they want to specialise in. It is really a tough option," said Okeyo.
But as the likes of Kemei continue to burst into the limelight, and Kenyan and other runners compete to run the marathon in under 2:4 hours, the world marathon circuit will continue being crowded by runners chasing after the big bucks.
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