Rags to riches

Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai wins the 115th running of the Boston Marathon last Monday in Boston, Massachusetts.  

In Summary

• He worked as a farm hand to get money for training kit and other basic needs, but now, Boston Marathon champion Mutai is a millionaire!

Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai’s script reads like that of most Kenyan world-beating runners - that he overcame hardship to conquer the world. But the new Boston Marathon champion’s story is not another cliche, and offers a lot of renewed hope to fresh, upcoming athletes.

Born of peasant farmers in Mumberes village of Koibatek District, Mutai’s family could hardly afford sugar, which made him endure sugar-less tea and porridge, a situation that encouraged him to train harder and run faster to earn money from the athletics, just like he had seen many of his neighbours and other great Kenyans do. It is normal for one to train and get back to tiresome farm duties daily, but it was determination to uplift his “sugar-less” home that slid Mutai into global glory.

The 29-year-old Mutai started running in 1994 while a Standard Four pupil at Tuiyotich Primary School in Nakuru. As a young boy – and given that he was dreaming of a way to deliver his family from the quagmire of poverty – Mutai had unbridled love for athletics. He could sneak away from home with his peers, walk to the nearby Mumberes Trading Centre in Timboroa to watch the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games athletics competition, paying what was then a staggering Sh5 fee to follow the Games on a black and white TV set.  
“I could watch and then experiment their (athletes’) running styles. I loved it,” said Mutai. “Unfortunately, I did not perform well at the school competitions.”

The first born in a family of 11 says he used to hear of veterans, including trailblazers Kipchoge Keino and Ben Jipcho, on radio and from his relatives and he kept dreaming of conquering the world too.He sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Schools Examinations in 1998 and passed well but the abject poverty in his family denied him entry into secondary school. “We faced school fees hitches. But we had to accept the situation,” said Mutai on arrival in Eldoret last week after running the fastest marathon of all time in Boston last Monday, clocking 2:03.02.“I remained with the running option only, and my speciality was the long distance.”

Mutai worked as a labourer on his neighbour’s farms, tilling the land to earn a living and get money to buy his training kit and basic needs to the family. In 1999, he entered into an agreement to weed someone’s farm and get a passport processing fee in return. He woke up early in the mornings for long runs and returned home to prepare for farm duties. While mixing the two tasks, locals mocked him and even advised him to discontinue running and instead concentrate on the farms as the workload was hectic.

But the highly religious runner set his sights firmly on putting on the national colours and in 2002, he qualified for the World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 3,000m steeplechase. But since he never had a birth certificate, his dream to board a plane crash-landed. In 2004, he picked up a tendon injury that ruled him out for the entire season.Later, he was fortunate to secure a contract at the Kenya Power and Lighting Company as a general worker in Nakuru. But after one year, he was laid off, but the misfortune did not stop the determined Mutai.

“I used the little savings I made from KPLC and went to the Kiptenden Athletics Club in Kericho.”
“I met the late coach David Kosgei who took to secondary schools competitions, where I finished eighth in four kilometre race.“The performance denied me a place in the camp and I made my way back home,” Mutai told Monday Sport. The soft-spoken and friendly Mutai says he returned home to work on another strategy to explore his athletic prowess.

“I was not disheartened and I went on with training. Within two months, I joined Kapng’entuny Athletics Club (in Eldoret East) where I still train in. And in 2006, I raced at the Mt Kilimanjaro race, finishing in sixth position,” Mutai said as he cuddled his two-year-old daughter Mitchel Jebet.

It was the 2007 Kass Marathon in Eldoret that, finally, opened up an opportunity for Mutai, who is managed by Dutchman Gerard Van de Veen of Volare Sports. He finished second in that race.“Although the course was quite tough to many runners, I found it easy since I had trained at the hilly areas of Kapng’etuny. It was here that I met my manager Gerard. We agreed on terms and he organised me to race in Monaco in 2008, where I won in 2:12.40.” He then won the Loopfesstijn Voorthuizen 10km race in The Netherlands, shattering the 28:05 course record before bettered his personal best time to 2:07.50 at the Eindhoven Marathon.

He later signed up for the Seoul International Marathon and, although he did finish the race, he wound up eight in the Daegu Marathon a month later on the course to be used for this year’s IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Mutai ran one of the fastest marathons in Rotterdam last year, setting a new personal best time of 2:04.55 in a race won by compatriot Patrick Makau. He then bagged a bronze medal at the African Athletics Championships in the 10,000m and raced in the Berlin Marathon finishing second in 2:05.10.

After a fifth place at the World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain, Mutai won last Monday’s Boston Marathon in the fastest time ever recorded for a marathon. “The cross-country sharpened me so well and Boston was quite good for me,” he says.

His wife Beatrice and parents Emmy and Andrew Koech never expected Mutai would not only deliver them from poverty but also steal the global athletics limelight.

For his exploits in Boston, Mutain earned $225,000 (about Sh20 million) in prize money, and undisclosed amounts in endorsements.

“I never imagined that one day he will be under the world’s spotlight.

“It is God’s blessings to him for he respects his parents. It was also a reward for his persevering, loving respectful character and for a man who dedicates love to his family.

“I pray God to guide him to bring more glory to Kenya,” said Beatrice.
Mutai’s mother Emmy Koech says Andrew Koech, the athlete’s father, was equally a proud father.

Source:  www.nation.co.ke

Rags to Riches

Elizabeth Wambui Njeri, 23, has had a hard knock life but through it all, she held her head high and persevered. She gives her real life story of struggle and triumph to SHIRLEY GENGA

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Gikambura Village, in Kiambu County. My mother was a single mother with three kids and we all stayed with my grandmother. I am the eldest girl followed by my sister and my younger brother. My mum worked in Nairobi as a secretary and she would commute to and fro daily. She was not well-paid, but we survived because in ushago, you get food from the shamba, you do not pay rent and electricity is cheap. While I was a Form two student at Loreto Kiambu High School, my mother moved us to Nairobi.

How did your life change?

Everything changed; life became a struggle. After my mum paid rent, electricity and food, there was nothing left from her salary. We had to grow up very fast. We lived in a small house in South C and it became the norm for me to be sent home for school fees .

In fact, when the headmistress would call out the names of students being sent home, I automatically knew I was among them. I remember I would get so depressed. I would be sent home then come back and try and catch up. The following term, the cycle would repeat itself.

What happened next?

Life continued got worse. Once when my other siblings had gone up-country for holidays, auctioneers came to our house and left us with nothing but a bed. Soon after, I was also sent up-country and I remember not having the strength to tell my siblings that they had nothing waiting for them when they returned to Nairobi.

What did you do after you completed high school?

In 2006, I joined Regional Centre to pursue a cabin crew, PR and Japanese course but due to lack of school fees, I was unable to complete them. I stayed for a year and was in and out because of school fees. I was finally forced to leave. I felt as if my life was not changing, as I was still going through the same high school cycle.

What did you do after leaving college?

I immediately started looking for a job. At the time, my younger sister was in high school and watching her go through what I went through was difficult. She was the student always being sent home for school fees, who did not have shopping, it was so hard. I got temporary jobs as a sales promoter. I think I did all the sales promotions in the world.

I would promote different products outside supermarkets and get paid Sh1,000. At around that time, my mum lost her job so we had to move to a small two-bedroomed house in Umoja. We only had one bed and because my mum refused to sleep on it, my small sister would sleep on it and my brother and I would sleep on the floor while my mum would sleep on the sofa.

That is how we lived for the three years. I would never bring anyone to our house because I was embarrassed. From then on, we lived in debt because my mother never got another stable job. If I can remember, even drinking milk was a luxury for us.

Did any of your friends know about your situation?

The greatest lesson my mother taught us through it all was that just because life was hard, it did not have to show n you. I would go to Mtindwa and Gikomba market and buy nice cheap clothes. Looking at me, you would never know where I was from. Only those closest to me knew of my struggle. Just because you do not have, does not mean everyone has to know. Just do the best with what you have and hold your head high up.

What were you hoping to achieve at that time?

Other people have dreams to be doctors or lawyers, but I knew that I was limited by my education thus the next best thing for me was to be a flight attendant. The house in Umoja had a balcony and from it, you could see aeroplanes passing by and I would cry out to God and beg him to give me a chance. I borrowed a directory and wrote down all the airline information I could find on the yellow pages. I sent my CV to all the airlines. One of my privileged friends tried to discourage me; he told me that airlines only took light skinned girls or girls with nice legs and not skinny ones like mine. It hurt so much but I did not really despair. I had a dream and somehow I knew God would come through for me.

My mum never got another secretarial job; she had so much on her back because my siblings were still in school. She lost so much weight as a result. She would sometimes get manual jobs at industrial area and would walk there everyday. Everything she got she gave us, a lot of times forgetting herself. I remember once while I was doing a promotion job in Westlands, she walked from Umoja to Donholm, got on a matatu for Sh20, then walked from Muthurua to Westlands just to give me Sh100 for transport back home in the evening.

She had gotten some money after I had left for work and she did not want me to struggle going back home in the evening. When I saw her, I just broke down and cried. I did not transport to go back home but God always provided. I remember promising myself that the day God would bless me with a good job, my mother would live like a princess.

A lot of young women look for �sugar daddies� to help them along the way why did you not choose that path?

My mother taught me to love myself and I promised myself a long time ago that I would never go that direction. I got a lot of offers and the men I refused would laugh at me and tell me that I was not as special as I thought and that I would be back.

Did life change in 2008?

No, it got worse. I would meet with some of my former schoolmates or friends who were in college or university and I would feel like dying. Here I was, struggling to help my family but they had the luxury to go to school (laughs). Their only duty was to pass their exams. I began to attend church at JCC Buruburu, gave my life to God and even became an usher. The year 2008 turned out to be one of the worst years of my life. I had continued applying for a cabin crew position everywhere but nothing seemed to be coming up. My life felt like it was falling apart. We were still going through the same struggles; my mum had still not gotten a job, my sister had just completed high school and watching her cry because there was no money for university was unbearable. I think she was even becoming a little depressed; she would lock herself up in the room and cry.

Elizabeth Wambui Njeri

By the end of 2009, I was in a very dark place in my life. I felt hopeless. I had been waiting for something, anything to change but nothing had happened. That December, I travelled up-country to reflect. I remember in the evening, I would go out and sit alone and cry about my life. Once when I was sitting outside, I remember praying to God and asking for a sign that I would get my dream job and as I sat there crying, a plane passed and I knew that everything would be okay.

A few days later on December 26, I got a call asking me to report to my dream job at an international airline. After some training, I began working as cabin crew on January 2010 in Dubai. The airline paid for everything from my relocation to my flight there. I now live in Dubai and the only thing I spend my money on is food.

How did this change your life?

The first thing I did was pay my mother�s debts. After I was done, I moved her from Umoja to a big house in South C. I have made sure her room is huge and luxurious, I never want her to suffer again. My two siblings also have their own rooms and I am paying school fees for my sister, who is doing a degree in psychology at Nairobi University and for my brother who is in Shan Tao College. The other day, they all came to Dubai during the holidays and it feels so good to be able to do these things for my family.

What was the first thing you bought for yourself?

After the auctioneers came to our house, we never ever owned a good television or radio, the first thing I did was buy myself a 42-inch flat screen TV. I have always loved clothes and fashion and to live in a country like Dubai where you can get the latest styles, is like being in heaven. I never had nice things growing up so being able to buy myself stuff is truly a blessing from God.

How do you keep yourself grounded?

I have a personal relationship with God and he keeps me grounded. A lot of girls come to Dubai and get lost in all the raha here and by the time the job is over, they come home with nothing. I know how far I have come so I work hard and keep out of trouble. I have recently been promoted from economy class to business in a span of one and a half years, while most people take three years. Apart from hard work, I try to use my money wisely and invest and I even bought some land in Kitengela.

What are the perks of your job?

I have been to the whole of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and many other places. The other day, I got the chance to visit Disneyland in Tokyo and it felt wonderful to fulfil one of my childhood fantasies.

Are you dating?

Yes I have been dating the same guy for six years now. I remember he would buy me bread with his pocket money back in the day when bread in our house was like manna from heaven (laughs). He is a wonderful man.

Advice to other young girls?

Do not take the short cut, just work hard and give God your dreams and he will do more than you could have ever imagined.

Source:  www.standardmedia.co.ke