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Unknown Kenyan to run in the IAU 100km World Challenge
By Andy Milroy
13 April 1999An unknown Kenyan, Kipkosgei Alexander, has been selected by the Kenyan Federation to compete in the IAU World 100km Challenge at Chavagnes-en-Pailliers in France on the 15th of May.
The 27 year old Kipkosgei Alexander is an experienced marathon runner, having competed in every Mombasa marathon since 1992. However such is the standard of the runners in Kenya, that despite having run the marathon in 2:14:36, and the half marathon in 1:03:24, he has not been considered for international competition, and has yet to compete outside of Kenya.
He was inspired to consider running ultras when he realised that the winning times in many 50km races, reported from overseas, were slower than the times he had recorded in his long endurance training runs.
Whether he will be able to control his obvious speed, and move up to the 100km successfully at Chavagnes is a fascinating question. Sooner or later a Kenyan runner will run a fast 100km; Kipkosgei Alexander would seem to have the motivation, maturity and the interest to perhaps be the one to make that breakthrough on the fast Chavagnes course.
