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Amos Kiprotich and Doreen Cherop Kibet reigned supreme at the fifth edition of the Betika Iten Road Race yesterday.
Kiprotich, a reigning Belgrade 10km champion, destroyed a huge field of upstarts and experienced stars to claim a decisive victory in the Iten 15km contest.
The Keringet-based star, who improved his place from third in last year’s race to victory in 2026, responded strongly in the race, which was run under chilly conditions.
Kiprotich, who is fresh from a second place at the Arrow Venloop in 60:13 on March 29, timed 44:33.00 for his win after establishing a comfortable lead in the closing stages of the race that started in Kaplolo and ended in Iten town.
At yesterday’s race, Kiprotich continued his stellar performances, punctuated by a second place at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Tour on February 14 and at Eldoret TechRun10km five months ago.
He said he had set his sights on defending his Nairobi Expressway marathon 10km title later in the year.
“I had prepared for the Iten race adequately because I knew that the field would be strong. I used the race to test my endurance because it attracts the fastest athletes, and in their big numbers,” Kiprotich said after victory.
The winner added, “Last year, I ran 45 minutes, and I improved my time to 44 minutes. Improving more than a minute is a big improvement, and I thank the organisers for the opportunity to compete.”
Denis Kipkurui and Kiprono Kipkemoi came in second and third in 44:47.02 and 44:59.00, respectively, in the Iten 15km road race.
The women’s race also kicked off with huge expectations as a fast field chased glory, and Doreen Cherop, who trains in Kapsabet, pulled a major surprise with her glorious win.
Cherop stormed to victory in 51:06.9, finishing ahead of Judy Jepngetich (52:00.3) and Naomi Chemweno (52:10.2).
She is fresh from a first runner-up position at the Kapsabet Half Marathon last month.
Cherop made her move at the 11km mark after a big leading group maintained a slower pace, and sustained the momentum to the tape.
“I came to Iten to challenge myself because Iten has many strong athletes, and I wanted to gauge my speed and endurance. I am now looking for management because I have been running without an agent for some time,” the upstart said after her surprise win.
She continued to say: “I am preparing to compete in the half-marathon, Nairobi Expressway marathon. We urge corporate entities to sponsor more races.”
A Sh250,000 winning prize was a major target to elite athletes as masters runners eyed Sh30,000 for cutting the tape first.