Photo: Daniel Case ↗THE JOURNEY IN DETAIL
The home of champions at 2,400 m.
Iten is a village at 2,400 m on the rim of the Great Rift Valley where hundreds of elite Kenyan runners live and train. Red dirt roads, dawn group runs, Thursday fartlek and trails along an escarpment that drops a kilometre. Eight days of altitude camp in a place where running is a way of life, with proper dirt trails and technique work.
- Six o’clock morning runs alongside local groups
- A trail along the Rift Valley escarpment to Torok falls
- Fartlek on dirt roads and a session on the Kamariny track
- The descent into the Kerio Valley at 1,300 m and back
With old friends or new ones
Join a group or arrange a separate departure for your own team. Before travelling, we get to know each other, discuss everyone's experience and find suitable dates. You can also prepare together.
DAY BY DAY
Your daily itinerary.
A provisional itinerary. Weather, group readiness and local conditions may change the order and length of the stages.
- DAY 1 · 6 km, easy
Arrival in Iten
Fly to Eldoret and drive an hour to Iten (2,400 m). An easy familiarisation run on the red dirt and a talk about altitude and the first days.
Overnight: Running camp in Iten - DAY 2 · 10 km + 4 km in the evening
First morning with the group
At 6:00 we join a local group for an easy 10 km; rest by day, then a short technique session and stretching in the evening. Heart rate kept low.
Overnight: Running camp in Iten - DAY 3 · 16 km, 500 m of climbing
The trail to Torok falls
A trail along the Rift Valley escarpment to Torok falls: narrow paths, rock and a view of the valley floor a kilometre below. Back along the dirt road.
Overnight: Running camp in Iten - DAY 4 · 12 km with fartlek
Kenyan fartlek
Thursday fartlek with the locals: one minute fast, one easy on the dirt loop. We do 20 minutes instead of the full hour. Massage in the afternoon.
Overnight: Running camp in Iten - DAY 5 · 8 km + strides
Recovery and Kamariny
An easy 8 km in the morning, then a visit to the Kamariny dirt track for strides and technique work on level ground. Free evening.
Overnight: Running camp in Iten - DAY 6 · 28 km, 1,100 m of climbing
The long run: Kerio Valley
Down trails and road off the escarpment into the Kerio Valley (about 1,300 m) and the climb back to 2,400 m. Heat below, cool above, 1,100 m of climbing in one piece.
Overnight: Running camp in Iten - DAY 7 · 10 km, easy
Easy day and villages
A recovery run through Singore and the tea fields, a review of the week by heart rate and feel. Farewell dinner with local runners in the evening.
Overnight: Running camp in Iten - DAY 8 · 6 km, easy
Last morning and departure
A farewell 6:00 run with the group, breakfast and transfer to Eldoret for the Nairobi flight.
Overnight: —
Included in the estimated price
Seven nights at a running camp in Iten, twin rooms
Full board
Coaching with Ivan, technique and heart-rate analysis
A local coach and runner-pacers on group runs
Transfers to the trails and the Kerio Valley
Transfer from Eldoret airport
Two massages during the week
Not included in the price
Flights to the meeting point
Personal travel insurance and visas
Personal equipment
Single-room supplements and personal expenses
Flights Nairobi — Eldoret
Kenyan eTA
Single supplement
YOUR PREPARATION
Arrive ready for the route.
For runners of any level with 40 km a week or more; the first days at altitude will feel slower than usual. Ivan explains beforehand how to manage load and sleep in a first week at 2,400 m.
Prepare with IvanROUTE QUESTIONS
BEFORE WE MEET ON THE TRAIL
What to prepare in advance
- Trail shoes already tested in training
- A running vest, soft flasks and rain protection
- Layers for changing weather and familiar trail food
- Poles, if suitable for the route and you know how to use them
Once we choose a date, we agree on the equipment list, meeting point and transfer time. Please wait until the programme is confirmed before booking flights.