By Abdi Ali
Published September 16, 2016

Enhances Tourism through Endurance SportsThe Rift Valley edition of a sports series aimed at creating jobs, enhancing domestic and international tourism and boosting the economy has gone down in the western Kenyan farming town of Kericho.

The Kericho edition of the Team Tri Fit (TTF) National Triathlon and Duathlon Series brought together amateur and professional athletes from across Kenya to at the Chesumot Estate on September 3, 2016.

The winners of the triathlon challenge that comprised a 750M swim, 20KM cycle and 5KM run were Alexander Sio and Jessie De-Boer.

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Children's triathlon is a 500M swim, 10KM cycle and 2.5KM run. Team Braeburn consisting of Wachira Gichuru, Geoffrey Onyango and Kevin Aol edged out local favourites Team Chesumot comprising Kim Martins, Jerome Martins and Vincent Kipkemoi in the triathlon team challenge.

Calistus Shikanga, the Health Club Manager at Kempinski Hotels, edged out competition from James Ouma, Nirav Shah and Eddie Kamweru in the 5KM run, 20KM cycle and 2.5KM duathlon challenge.

Jesse Okal, in an event that was billed as a family affair, beat his brothers Joseph and Joshua Okal in the children’s triathlon; a 500M swim, 10KM cycle and 2.5KM run.

Mceeing matters at TTF's Kericho Triathlon“The Triathlon and Duathlon Series is part of a larger initiative that seeks to positively impact the economy of Kenya by creating jobs and enhancing domestic and international tourism through sports,” said Falgun Bhojak, Team Tri Fit’s Race Director.

Announcing the date of the next race as December 3, 2016 in Diani at the Kenyan Indian Ocean coast, Bhojak invited more Kenyans to take up the sport as it also helps “create jobs for the youth as athletes while providing platforms for different sports and recreational service providers in Kenya to sell their goods and services.”

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Team Manager Michael Owora said the Kericho event was the first triathlon to have been hosted in the county as part of TTF’s aim of raising the profile of the sport locally to get more Kenyans involved in recreational and competitive endurance activities.

Raising the profile of Endurance Sports locally to get more Kenyans involved in recreational and competitive endurance activities.

“The series is part of the team’s two-pronged approach of nurturing the sport of triathlon in Kenya while raising Sh0.5M for the purchase and upkeep of gym and rehabilitation facilities at the National Spinal Injury Hospital in Nairobi,” Owora said.

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Bringing together amateur and professional athletes of all ages who have a desire to compete and nurture the sport of triathlon. Team Tri Fit projects itself as a dynamic endurance sporting group that brings together amateur and professional athletes of all ages who have a desire to compete and nurture the sport of triathlon.

“While our mission is to nurture the sport of triathlon in Kenya through diverse and sustainable initiatives, our vision is to position it as a top-tier discipline,” says TTF that is focusing on becoming “the leading team in nurturing and executing innovative and impactful endurance sports initiatives in East Africa.”