00:00Kenya is known for its elite runners. Many of them start here in Eten.
00:09This small town draws young athletes from across the country and around the world.
00:15One of them, Alice Cheby. She left her family behind to chase greatness and prize money.
00:21I fear going home because it feels like nobody cares about me or is interested in my life.
00:29They see me as a failure.
00:34But only the very best succeed in Eten, the home of the champions.
00:39They come to Eten with the hope that they'll achieve.
00:42But about 90% don't achieve their dreams of coming to Eten.
00:59I feel that this can really change my life. More than studying in school could.
01:09This is why I came to Eten. To run. Here, I don't feel the stress at home.
01:25What my family thinks of me, I can do something for myself and my children.
01:3729-year-old Alice Cheby came to Eten three years ago.
01:41She arrived with only a pair of running shoes.
01:44Alice had just left an abusive relationship.
01:48Three of her uncles ran here before her, each sending money back home.
01:56Alice trains to follow in their footsteps, hoping to earn enough to support herself and her kids.
02:02So, she pushes hard every day.
02:05But today, she pushed too far.
02:07A bad step on a rock injured her knee.
02:10Inja starts here. But she comes here. And then we come here.
02:17Kenya sends a select few runners abroad to compete for money.
02:21Alice trains to join them.
02:23But first, she has to perform well in the Eldoret City Marathon.
02:26It's one of Kenya's major races, with about €120,000 prize money for the fastest 20 runners.
02:33I want to run the Eldoret City Marathon.
02:37Because, it's important to me.
02:40I'll get the chance to compete alongside the world's best marathoners.
02:45Those at the top and elite athletes who race internationally.
02:50It will be a great opportunity for me to run with them.
02:55And it will be my first time doing so.
02:58I want to work hard. To give my children the best.
03:10So they won't experience the struggles I've faced in life.
03:15Back home, I was rejected by my family.
03:19And I don't want my kids to worry about things like school fees.
03:26Alice lives close to the training ground.
03:28She rents a small room on the outskirts of town and sells vegetables to earn money.
03:33So far, running hasn't brought in any cash.
03:36Alice has cut most contact with her family.
03:40Her father was abusive.
03:42He threw Alice and her mother out when he took a second wife.
03:45At 17, Alice met her future husband.
03:48They married and had two daughters.
03:50But he was also violent.
03:52Alice has always been a good runner.
03:55People recognized her talent from a young age.
03:57But it wasn't until her husband abused her that she looked to running as a way out.
04:06Money has always been a problem.
04:09I told my husband I wanted to run and earn money.
04:13But he didn't agree and became angry.
04:17I had to leave the house and go to my mother's place.
04:21At that time, the children didn't even have clothes to wear.
04:26After spending a month there, he called and asked me to come back.
04:31We bought a piece of land in Gitale, but then I fell ill.
04:38My husband started to beat me.
04:41And I had to leave.
04:45When I talked about running, it would just end in a big fight.
04:51I had to leave.
04:52I had to leave.
04:58Alice's story isn't unique.
05:00In Kenya's running scene, it's an open secret.
05:03Some partners and even coaches exploit young female athletes.
05:08A recent study found that 15% of women in the system have faced sexual abuse.
05:15Many also deal with violent partners jealous of their success.
05:20Since 2021, at least four well-known female runners have been killed by their husbands or boyfriends.
05:29Alice's training is intense.
05:32Every morning, she joins her group to run 20 to 25 kilometers on dusty dirt roads.
05:38In the afternoon, they add another 10 kilometers.
05:41They push on through pain and exhaustion.
05:45But today, just before the finish, Alice's body gives in.
05:50Her knee is still holding her back.
05:52I feel so tired.
05:55Even I feel pain.
06:08At any given time, 1,000 to 1,500 athletes are training in Eten.
06:14Enough to fill a rural Kenyan village.
06:17But experts say only about 5% will ever earn money from the sport.
06:22This gamble makes running a physical and mental game.
06:27At Camarini Stadium, where champions are made, the pressure is intense.
06:32That's where Dr. Kipchumba Bairoun steps in, a coach trained in the U.S.
06:37He returned to Eten to guide young runners, their bodies and their minds.
06:42It's Eten itself.
06:44It's a pressure point where many athletes assume wherever they come from,
06:49they come to Eten with the hope that they'll achieve.
06:52But about 90% don't achieve their dreams of coming to Eten.
06:57Then it will end up again, the cycle becomes,
07:00I've wasted my time, I've invested in training,
07:04but no management is picking me or no performance is forthcoming.
07:09Then at the end of the day, people get frustrated,
07:12and those frustrations lead to depression,
07:15and the depression lead to mental challenges,
07:18and the cycle continues.
07:21For many athletes, running is their entire future.
07:26Like for Elise.
07:28She has been taking training seriously and working hard.
07:32While her knee still bothers her, it's improving.
07:36With the Aldorrit City Marathon just days away, she finally feels physically ready.
07:42A strong performance here could catch the attention of sports agents,
07:46opening the door to races abroad and a pathway to a new future.
07:51In these moments before the race, she often recalls how she arrived in Eten.
07:56I had no space to leave.
08:00I was staying in a room without a door.
08:03With no mattress, absolutely nothing.
08:10And I had children to care for.
08:17I reached a dead end and told myself,
08:20I don't want to leave one day long.
08:23But then a person, a neighbour came to me and said,
08:32don't try to kill yourself.
08:34Life is tough.
08:36But you're still young.
08:38You will find a way to succeed.
08:40To withstand this pressure and keep herself motivated for this hard training,
08:51Elise finds strength and comfort in her church community.
08:55Lord, amen.
08:56Amen.
08:57And fost door, amen.
08:58Amen.
09:02Amen.
09:03Amen.
09:04Amen, amen.
09:08Amen.
09:16Yes, I am.
09:19Yes, I am.
09:21Yes, I am.
09:24Yes, I am.
09:26Yes, I am.
09:30Yes, I am.
09:37Aldorit, the morning of the city marathon.
09:40Hundreds of runners are competing here,
09:43but only the fastest 20 runners get a share of the prize money.
09:48Everyone else goes home with nothing.
10:00In the middle of the race, I think about a lot of things,
10:04how I've been mistreated
10:07and how things aren't right with my family.
10:13With my own people.
10:26When I think about the race,
10:29it's more than just running.
10:31It makes me think about where I come from,
10:34the struggle to pay for the bus fare,
10:37where I stay and the difficulties my children face.
10:42I also think about my mother and my siblings,
10:45who never had the chance to go to school.
10:47And then there's me.
10:49With all the hard times I've been through,
10:51I can't help but think about all these things.
10:54Thank you very much.
10:55Thank you very much.
10:56Alice crosses the finish line as number 49.
11:26Like hundreds of other aspiring runners in the Eldorad City Marathon, she goes home empty-handed.
11:46But she does get a medal, and she hasn't given up hope.
11:50One day, I know I will succeed, and win at least one marathon.
12:00When that happens, I'll earn good money.
12:06With that, I'll buy land, build a house, and live there with my children.
12:12I think she knows what to do.
12:13I think she knows what to do.
12:14хочет buy it.
12:16I don't believe she knows what to do.
12:31For a long time, it'll beondernette into the SHOW.
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