When the national cross country is staged in Eldoret, a number of things stand out, but most importantly, the City of Champions comes alive.
This Saturday, the Cathedral of distance running is once again hosting what is expected to be an electrifying cross country action.
In February, the city staged the 2025 national cross-country at the Eldoret Sports Club, and it is set to host the country’s big shots for the 2026 edition.
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The Saturday contest in Eldoret is expected to be blistering as athletics stars battle for places in Team Kenya to the 2026 World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida—a showdown set for January 10.
So, the Eldoret national cross country event serves as trials for the global show.
The cross country season kicked off early this time following the rescheduling of the global event from the traditional March dates to January, hence leading to the national show being staged this October.
Among the big shots entered for the 2026 show this Saturday is Ishmael Rokitto, the man who made a name for himself after bagging the under-20 gold medal at the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia.
A peep into the entry list reveals a strong cast of athletic big shots looking to face off in Eldoret.
Brilliant Chepkorir and Daniel Ebenyo, who were crowned national cross country champions in the same venue—the Eldoret Sports Club in February this year—are expected to return, this time to book their slots in Team Kenya to Florida.
If they confirm their participation by tomorrow, the 2025 champions—representing Kenya Prisons and National Police Service, respectively—will compete alongside other top stars for honours.
World Cross Country bronze medallist Lilian Kasait and former African 5000m silver medallist Sandrafelis Chebet are among 490 athletes entered for the national trials.
Big names such as world 800m champion Lilian Odira and world 1500m bronze medallist Reynold Cheruiyot are among athletes who are expected to highlight the 2km loop.
While the Kenyan flag bearers for the Tokyo World Championships (September 13-21) were preparing for the global showpiece, other stars were proving their mettle in county, Athletics Kenya (AK) regional events and affiliates cross country competitions, with sights on the national contest and booking places to Florida.
Eldoret is hosting the national cross country championships for the fourth time since 2019, making it one of the most preferred venues outside Nairobi.
It hosted the 2025 edition and is getting set for the 2026 event staged earlier than expected. The city had also hosted the 2022 and 2019 editions.
And when the stars converge at the city of champions, the contests are mouthwatering, and the enthusiasts fill the venue.
Top athletes, including Olympic and world champions, have previously been on the sidelines to follow the action.
Legendary athletes have not always been conspicuous, with others getting special recognition.
For instance, during the February event, athletics legends, among them former 3,000m steeplechase record holder Moses Kiptanui and 1988 Olympic 5,000m champion John Ngugi, as well as former National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) President Paul Tergat, followed the event live at the Eldoret Sports Club.
Legends who laid the marker in several athletics events, among them 1968 Olympic champion Kipchoge Keino and three-time Boston Marathon champion Ibrahim Hussein, have rarely missed major events in the city.
Kenyan big shots, including three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon and javelin star Julius Yego watched the blistering 2025 contests on the sidelines.
Observers say the national cross country events have given the huge number of fans from the Rift Valley region, the nation’s athletics bastion, an opportunity to cheer the stars that often train in camps near their villages and playgrounds.