Entrepreneur cashes in on Kenya’s athletics prowess

A Kenyan living in the US is cashing in from Kenya’s athletics prowess by designing sports safari packages which blends the traditional beach and bush safari with a running experience in the Rift Valley highlands.

Wilson Kiriungi, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is the brain behind Run with Kenyans – a company he founded in 2011 to bring both professional and recreational runners to Kenya for a sporty safari.

The idea to develop athletics safari packages was born out of Mr Kiriungi’s experience abroad where he noticed that many Americans regarded Kenya as the ‘Mecca of long distance running’ and cherished an opportunity to learn the secrets of its athletes.

As a resident of Boston, the Kenyan entrepreneur had watched his country mates take multiple gold medals in the Boston Marathon — and the near fanatical following Kenya enjoyed in what is billed as the world biggest major race.

“My interactions with the Boston Marathon fans showed that most of the diehard fans were willing to spend to follow their champions who were mostly Kenyans,” said the 35-year-old entrepreneur told the Business Daily.

“Running is the only sport where you mix the champions and fans in a truly participatory way, providing a great experience for both,” said the man who emigrated to the US in 2001. Read more at Business Daily Africa