Runners of Iten

After a month in Kenya, my nerves were tight. I had been living and working in a slum where the daily chant of “mazungu” (white person) had gotten under my skin. I had been hard bargained one too many times. I need a break, so I hopped on a bus up into the mountains where I landed in Iten, a small mountain town that is unexpectedly the running capital of the world. Many world record holders came from or trained there. Runners come from all over the globe to run in this high altitude, intense environment that has bred so much prestige over the years. In Iten, form and excellence rule over shoes and shininess.