Check Out This Gear Giveaway

Hey Believers! We’re partnering with Enda, Janji, COROS, and UltrAspire for an incredible gear giveaway in support of the upcoming fastest known time (FKT) attempts on Mt. Kenya. To celebrate the attempt, we’re hooking up three (3) lucky grand prize winners with the same gear these elite Kenyan marathoners will be wearing in the coming weeks.

Winners will receive the following:

• Two (2) pairs of Enda Lapatet running shoes ($240 value)
• One (1) gift card for $300 in Janji apparel (valid at Janji.com)
• One (1) COROS Apex Multi-sport watch (or $299 value to COROS.com)
• One (1) UltrAspire Prize Pack (Legacy Race Vest, Lumen 200 Waist Light, 2 x UltraFlask 550 Hybrid Bottles) ($190 value)

It’s free to enter and runs from November 10-16, 2020. It’s also open to global residents 18+. And honestly, your chances of winning are pretty good. Sign up at the link below!

Enter to Win

More information about the event:

After Joan Massah Cherop broke the tape to win the 2019 Detroit Marathon, she knew 2020 was going to be a year of even bigger races and greater opportunities. Soon, an invitation to the Paris Marathon confirmed her hopes, and she stepped up her training.

We all know what happened next through: race delays and cancellations. Like many athletes, this left Joan not just feeling let down, but struggling financially. 

Her main sponsor, the Kenyan running company Enda, jumped into action to help. Following the Kenyan running tradition of working with others to lift each other up, Enda built a coalition of brands in the running space to sponsor Joan and fellow athletes Kenneth Kemboi, Sussy Chebet, and Alfred Moindi to attempt to set new fastest known times (FKT) running up Mt. Kenya. 

Here are the brands who came together to support the athletes and a bit about why they’re taking part in this historic effort:

COROS GPS Watches

Dan Suher, Director of Global Sales and Marketing at COROS said, “For COROS it’s all about the outdoors, mountains, and a passionate active lifestyle. We are excited for the opportunity to expand the reach of trail running to a new, underrepresented community. Our motto is Explore Perfection, and nothing embodies this phrase like the chase of an FKT on Africa’s second tallest peak!”

Enda ethical running shoes

Navalayo Osembo, Co-Founder of Enda said, “We want to help everyone run Kenyan, which means working together to achieve great things. So it’s an honor to have such great athletes and companies coming together for this historic effort. Joan and Kenneth help design the shoes they train in, our daily trainer the Lapatet, and we’re really excited to have them using our new trail shoe as they take on this incredible challenge. It’s about time a Kenyan, wearing Kenyan-made running shoes, held the record for Kenya’s tallest mountain.”

Janji running apparel

Mike Burnstein, Co-Founder at Janji said, “At Janji we believe that running is the best way to explore the world around us, and while we love running in cities, there is something magical about getting off pavement and into nature. At Janji we design gear at the intersection of running and adventure, so naturally the idea of kitting out some of the world’s best marathoners as they veer off-road gets us fired up.” 

UltrAspire hydration accessories and waist lights

Joe Petty, Marketing Director at UltrAspire said, “We believe innovation comes from need, and the need is discovered by pushing your limits to the extreme. At UltrAspire, we are inspired by athletes and excited to support some of the world’s greatest competitors as they tackle this monster of an endeavor.”

Over the next 3 months, the athletes will attempt to set records on all three major routes, including breaking the 25-year-old record on the challenging Sirimon route set by Italian athlete Fabio Meraldi. Each run starts in a tropical rainforest, then climbs roughly 2750m (9000 ft) to the snow-capped summit of Pt Lenana at 4,985m (16,355 ft). 

The three routes all present different challenges.

› Sirimon – 48.2 km round trip with 2,410m climbing (7906 ft)

This is the longest and most steady route. It starts in an equatorial forest and runs up the long side of the mountain. It’s the easiest (though longest) approach, so is the most popular route. 

› Chogoria – 36 km round trip with 2,032 m climbing (6666ft) 

This route starts in a lush hot tropical rainforest on the rainy side of the mountain and runs along the edge of a beautiful canyon. Wildlife, especially elephants and buffalo, are a concern at the start of the route for the first 4-5km in the forest. 

› Naro Moru – 28.46 km round trip with 1,898m of climbing (6227 ft)

This route is a vertical bog. Waterlogged ground the whole way and then finishes going up a 300m vertical glacial scree field. Though shortest, the terrain makes this potentially the most difficult.