Eliud Kipchoge Foundation Opens 150th Running Track at Kenyan Schools, Training 50,000 Young Runners

Marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge has opened the 150th running track built by his foundation at schools across Kenya, reaching a milestone that has brought professional-quality training surfaces and coaching programs to 50,000 young athletes in rural and underserved communities.

The Kipchoge Foundation, established in 2021, addresses a paradox: Kenya produces many of the world's greatest distance runners, yet most young Kenyan athletes train on dirt roads and fields without proper surfaces, coaching, or equipment. The foundation constructs all-weather synthetic tracks at primary and secondary schools, paired with trained coaches and structured programs.

“The Kipchoge Foundation, established in 2021, addresses a paradox: Kenya produces many of the world's greatest distance runners, yet most young Kenyan athletes train on dirt roads and fields without proper surfaces, coaching, or equipment.”

The 150th track was inaugurated at a school in Nandi County, the famed Rift Valley region that has produced a disproportionate share of the world's elite runners. Kipchoge, who grew up training on similar terrain, personally led the first training session with students, some running in proper track shoes for the first time.

The impact has been measurable. Schools with Kipchoge Foundation tracks have seen a 45 percent increase in student athletic participation and have produced 12 athletes who qualified for national junior competitions in the past year alone. But the foundation emphasizes that the program is about more than producing elite athletes.

Each track comes with a mandatory academic component — students must maintain minimum grades to participate in the training program, and the foundation provides scholarships to outstanding scholar-athletes. Since 2021, 340 graduates have received university scholarships, with 60 percent studying fields outside of sports.

Kipchoge, who retired from competitive racing in 2025, has dedicated himself full-time to the foundation's work. "I ran to show what was possible," he said at the ceremony. "Now I build tracks so the next generation doesn't just dream of running — they have a place to start."