During this training session, Kiptum was full of energy and maintained a high level of focus. Coach Nahashon Kibon at one point suggested that the Kenyan runner slow down, but he insisted on finishing the run as best as he could.
That was when Kiptum was doing an 18.2 km "fartlek" workout as part of a 35 km total run. Fartlek is essentially a training method that involves random variations in speed, with bursts of high speed interspersed with slower runs for recovery.
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 morning training session on February 8th, Kibon gave the athletes a break and then regrouped them into larger groups for the next training session on February 13th. "Usually there are three coaches, including myself, Gervais Hakizimana, and Nicholas Chemogos. When there's a large group that needs training, we split into three teams and make a plan," Kibon told Nation Sport on the morning of February 12th, after Kiptum died in a traffic accident in the Kaptagat area.
The coach revealed that Kiptum insisted on taking a commemorative photo after the morning training session on February 8th. "Kiptum told me, 'Coach, you've helped me so much. Let's take some pictures together,' and added, 'Photos are precious treasures, they'll help me always remember everyone.' I agreed, and we took a few pictures."
On February 11th, Kiptum and coach Hakizimana, 37, died instantly when the car lost control, veered off the road, and plunged into a ditch about 60 meters before crashing into a large tree on the Elgeyo Marakwet-Ravine highway in the Kaptagat region. Sharon Chepkurui Kosgei, the sole survivor, was also in the car and received emergency treatment at Racecourse Hospital.
"Looking back now, I still wonder why Kiptum insisted on us taking photos after Thursday's training session," Kibon added. "It's unbelievable how things turned out that way. Kiptum is truly grateful to the coaches for helping him during training. We told him that we are always ready and prepared for each athlete according to the competition they are about to participate in."
Kiptum's training group also includes many other elite athletes, such as Timothy Kiplagat - his teammate on the Kenyan marathon team, Edward Chesterek - a 17-time champion of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 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 12th, Kibon gathered the group to go to Eldoret to see Kiptum's body at the Racecourse Hospital morgue.
Hong Duy
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