During this session, Kiptum was full of energy and maintained a high level of concentration. Coach Nahashon Kibon at one point asked Kenyan to slow down, but he insisted that he wanted to finish the run in the best possible way.
That's when Kiptum was doing an 11.2-mile "fartlek" as part of a 21-mile run. Fartleks are essentially a training method that involves random variations in speed, with bursts of high-speed running interspersed with slower recovery runs.
Kiptum (center) stands with coaches Nahashon Kibon (left), Nicholas Chemogos (right) and two other foreign athletes after a 35km training run on February 8, 2024. Photo: Nation
After the training session on the morning of February 8, Kibon gave the athletes a break and then regrouped them in larger groups for the next training session on February 13. "Usually there are three coaches, including myself, Gervais Hakizimana and Nicholas Chemogos. When there is a large group to train, we split into three teams and make a plan," Kibon told Nation Sport on the morning of February 12, after Kiptum died in a traffic accident in the Kaptagat area.
The coach revealed that Kiptum insisted on taking a souvenir photo after the training session on the morning of February 8. "Kiptum told me, 'You helped me a lot. Let's take some photos together,' adding that 'photos are precious treasures that will help me remember everyone.' I agreed, and we took some photos."
On February 11, Kiptum and coach Hakizimana, 37, were killed on the spot when the car lost control, went off the road and fell into a ditch about 60 meters away before hitting a large tree on the Elgeyo Marakwet-Ravine Highway, Kaptagat area. A woman named Sharon Chepkurui Kosgei was also in the car - the only survivor and was rushed to Racecourse Hospital.
"Looking back now, I still wonder why Kiptum insisted on taking a photo after Thursday's training session," Kibon added. "It's unbelievable how things turned out. Kiptum is really grateful to the coaches who helped him during his training. We said that we would always be ready and prepare each athlete according to the upcoming meet."
Kiptum's training group includes other elites, such as Timothy Kiplagat - a teammate on the Kenyan marathon team, Edward Chesterek - a 17-time NCAA champion for the University of Oregon, Caroline Chepkwony and Eunice Chebichii - silver medalists in the 10,000m at the 2018 Asian Games and the 2015 Asian Athletics Championships.
On the morning of February 12, Kibon gathered the group to go to Eldoret to view Kiptum's body at the Racecourse Hospital Mortuary.
Hong Duy
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