Kosgei Aims For Winning Comeback in Baxters Loch Ness Marathon

Entries for festival of running close at midnight on Monday 4^th September

Isaiah Kosgei hasn’t competed at any level for 10 years but the 42 year-old Kenyan has his sights set on making a winning comeback at the Baxters Loch Ness marathon on Sunday 24^th September.

Runners hoping to join the African in the marathon or any of the other races in the Baxters festival of running will have to be quick off their marks as entries close at midnight on Monday 4^th September.

Places are available until then for Scottishathletics members, members of affiliated UK running clubs, overseas runners, and through official charity Macmillan Cancer Support and other affiliate charities.

Kosgei,left,is excited about making his first trip to Scotland and although he knows he will not get close to his best time of 2hr 12min 48sec, he is confident of challenging the course record of 2:20:13 set by his compatriot Simon Tonui in 2009.

The veteran Kenyan athlete is travelling to the Highlands thanks to the efforts of two Aberdeen-based former Scottish champions, Myles Edwards, winner of the Scottish 1500m track title two years ago, and Peter Wilson, the 1983 national marathon gold medal winner.

Edwards is co-founder of the Gathimba Edwards Foundation, a charity which helps disadvantaged children in Kenya and he met Kosgei on one of his frequent visits to East Africa. He said: “Kosgei is an amazing character. He was a top class competitor until about 10 years ago and he raced successfully in 10km’s, half marathons and marathons all over Europe.

“Towards the end of his professional running career he decided to go back to secondary school in Kenya to complete the education he had missed when he was younger.

“It was a brave thing to do and to begin with it was a bit of a challenge as the other kids laughed at him. But he soon won them over, gained their respect and helped motivate them to complete their studies.

“He’s a smart guy and with the money he made from his running career, he built his own school, the King David Academy, and set himself up as a massage therapist. I go to him for treatment regularly when I am in Kenya and he has looked after many of the British runners who visit the area, including some from Aberdeen.

“After finishing his school education he was keen to get back into running and he has been training hard so we began to speak about getting into some races.

“That’s when Peter Wilson became involved. He is an osteopath who set up the Running Movement School in Aberdeen and he offered to cover the costs of bringing Kosgei over here to do a few races. Peter also felt it would be a good opportunity to offer him some work experience as Kosgei is keen to set up his own clinic back in Kenya.

“So, Kosgei has been preparing specifically for the Baxters Loch Ness marathon and although he knows he can’t emulate the times he achieved in the past, he is confident of running close to 2:20. He says he’s in decent shape and, as he has gained fitness, he has become increasingly motivated. He is really focussed on the marathon and wants to do well.”

Race Director Malcolm Sutherland is delighted that Kosgei is keen to make his comeback at the Baxters Loch Ness marathon.

He said: “It’s an amazing story and Kosgei sounds like an extremely interesting and inspiring character. We look forward to welcoming him to the Highlands.

“It’s fantastic that an athlete of his calibre and background has chosen our race for his first competition for so many years. We are delighted to have top class athletes here but we also greet thousands of others whether they are experienced runners or relative novices. They are all treated the same way and they’ll all experience a wonderful Highland reception.”

The Baxters Loch Ness marathon is the premier event on the race day programme but the festival also includes other attractive runs catering for a wide range of ages and levels of experience.

Sutherland explained: “We try to offer something for all sectors of the running community. In addition to the marathon we have the Baxters River Ness 10Km, including a Corporate Challenge for teams. We also have the Baxters River Ness 5Km fun run, and the Wee Nessie children’s run which are always popular.

“There’s a superb atmosphere at the races with huge number of people turning out to watch and cheer on the competitors, particularly at the finish in Bught Park where the Event Village is located. As usual there will be plenty of activities at the Village to keep everyone entertained and there is always a fantastic atmosphere around the finish area.

“But there’s not much time left for anyone to join in. Final entries will close at midnight on 4^th September and we definitely cannot accept any applications after that date.”

Full details at www.lochnessmarathon.com