Running culture is transforming lives in Kenya and beyond
- Text by Christopher Sanders
Spencer MacDonald’s new documentary Kukimbia: A Journey Through Kenyan Running Culture, looks at the transformative nature of running on the lives and families of those who take up the sport in the East African country.
“The runners that we met and stayed with are some of the best long distance runners in the world”, says Spencer MacDonald. “As well as this, they are also some of the most humble, warm and disciplined people that we have ever come across.”
The film features interviews with internationally renowned runners Komon, Paul Koech, and Micah Chemos who have been using their earnings to support educational activity in their communities.
“Running is everything for them”, Spencer tells me. “Everything that they earn through running goes straight back to their families and villages. Although some of them grew up running to school, when we asked them why they run, every single answer we got was about helping their loved ones get out of poverty.”
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