Overview

The edge of the Kerio Rift Valley of Kenya, with its stunning landscapes, incredible wildlife and welcoming people, is the setting for your summer adventure in 2010.  At 8000 ft. above sea level, the small, rural town of Iten is an ideal place to settle into a Kenyan lifestyle. Every day, you'll run on the extensive network of trails and dirt roads with the numerous world class Kenyan and international athletes who live and train here. In the afternoons you'll continue your training with a structured workout in the gym or pool. You'll also spend time getting to know the community as you work with Kenyan students and within the community, gaining service hours as you learn and contribute. 

At two points during the 24 day stay in Kenya, you'll travel from Iten for an overnight safari. One safari will take you to Lake Nakuru National Park, best known as the site of the most spectacular bird display on earth, with its population of over a million pink flamingos, and also home to rhinos, zebras, and giraffes, among other incredible animals. The second safari will be in the world-renowned Maasai Mara, where you may be lucky enough to witness the annual wildebeest migration through this National Park.  Predators follow the migrating herd closely, waiting for an opportunity to strike weak prey as they traverse the plains.

Sample Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive Nairobi and overnight at Nairobi hotel

Day 2 - Domestic flight to Eldoret.  Ground transportation to Iten.  Acclimatize.  Slow pm

            run or workout in the gym/swim

Day 3 - Explore the local town of Iten and continue acclimatization. Slow am run and pm

           organized workout

Days 4 to 6 - am run, midday community service , pm workout, swim, and/or run

Day 7 - am long run, pm community service

Day 8 - Training rest day: am hike in local area (Singore Forest), pm market /outing

Days 9 to 13 - am run, midday community service, pm run, workout and/or swim

Day 14 - am long run, pm rest & relax

Day 15 - early morning departure for Lake Nakuru (training rest day), pm return to Iten

Days 16 to 20 - am run, midday community service, pm run, workout and/or swim

Day 22 - final day in Iten, am run, drive to Maasai Mara, afternoon game drive

Day 23 - Safari day long game drive, pm run

Day 24 - am game drive, pm transfer to Nairobi and flight home

Length:  24 days

Program 1: June 27 - July 20

Program 2: July 21 - Aug. 13

Maximum Group size: 16 students

Student/staff ratio:  No greater than 6:1

Community Service Hours:  45 - 50

Nairobi:  Student athletes will spend only one night in Nairobi, immediately following their arrival in Kenya.  All students will be met at Jomo Kenyatta International airport outside the luggage retrieval area and driven to a secure, comfortable Nairobi hotel where they will have the choice to rest, or have something to eat. All student athletes will all be asked to communicate their safe arrival via email from here.  While in the Nairobi hotel, each student will be responsible for their own room service meals, since individuals may be arriving at different times.  Breakfast, on the morning after arrival,  is included with the trip.  After the domestic 30 minute flight to Eldoret, the group will be met and driven to the High Altitude Training Centre in Iten. Iten is about a 30 minute drive from Eldoret.

Iten:  The High Altitude Training Centre (HATC) was opened in 1999 by Lornah Kiplagat, a 4 time world record holder, as a place for athletes and tourists from around the world to explore, relax, and train.   STRIVE Students will lodge two to a room (as in Nairobi), and each room has its own private bathroom and shower.  The center also has a library, state of the art gym and sauna on-site, and has recently installed a 25 meter heated swimming pool. 

Within the facility grounds is a restaurant where all HATC guests have their breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Meals are prepared by an on-site chef and  include vegetables, beans, some meat, and often ugali, a staple of East African diets made with cornmeal.  The chefs do their best to accommodate western palates, as Kenyan food is much simpler than many Americans are used to, but participants must be prepared to eat very differently than they do at home.  The center is located directly next to the local police station and the town of Iten is a very rural, quiet community. 

On Safari:  The Lake Nakuru safari will be a day trip.  During the Masai Mara safari, lodging will be in a 'permanent' style tent/structure, with two students per tent.  Each tent has its own bathroom and shower.  The camp is powered with a generator, so the hours of electricity are limited to early mornings and evenings.All meals and some refreshments during the safaris are included.