KAPTAGAT – Daily training, frugal living, shared household chores.

The Kaptagat camp, where Kenyan athletics stars Eliud Kipchoge and Faith Kipyegon are preparing for the Paris Olympic Games, is a protected retreat, known for its focus on self-discipline.

This small complex in Kenya’s Rift Valley, perched at an altitude of 2,500m between forests and corn plantations, was founded in 2002 by former runner-turned-coach Patrick Sang and the Dutch sports management agency Global Sports Communication.

“The idea was to help young athletes develop their potential because here in Kenya many don’t have access to training facilities or to the support of a coach. It is a place where elite athletes mentor young ones, a place run by athletes that also became a school of life,” Sang said.

Its most famous resident – who has been training there since its founding – is Kipchoge.

“This is the calmest place ever. It’s a good place to concentrate... We live a simple life,” the two-time Olympic marathon champion said.

This is where the 39-year-old laid the ground for his greatest exploits, including his 2018 and 2022 world records and the two Olympic titles, to which he hopes to add a historic third gold medal come August.

In 2019, Kenyan middle-distance champion Kipyegon, who is also aiming for an unprecedented hat-trick in Paris in the 1,500m, started attending the camp.

“This place really changed my life, my career,” the 30-year-old said. “It’s our second home. We train and live as a team. We are focused 100 per cent on running.”

But it is not about athletics all the time.

All the athletes live at the camp from Monday afternoon to Saturday morning. During that time, they are expected to contribute to the running of the camp, doing household chores including cooking once a week, cleaning the TV room and lavatories, and taking out the trash.

Far from the high-tech training grounds in the United States, the Kaptagat camp offers minimal comforts.

For nearly 15 years, athletes got their water from a well – although in recent years, running water and solar panels have been installed.

A few single rooms have been added to the double rooms – the only concession to the elite status of certain runners at a facility which wears its egalitarian credentials with pride.

In Kaptagat, “there is no world champion, no record holder, all of us are equal”, said marathon runner Laban Korir.

Far from their families, the athletes devote themselves to their training, which follows a common programme – 16km to 20km in the morning and 10km in the evening four days a week, a weekly “long run” of 30km to 40km and gym sessions twice a week. After their training, athletes can get a massage or grab a book from the camp library.

Distractions are few and far between. The use of the telephone is prohibited in the dining room and during massages. Instead, residents sit in the garden and chat over cups of sweetened milk tea.

“We talk about the current situation in our country, like... politics, and also football,” said Victor Chumo, who has been training in Kaptagat since 2019.

At the end of the day, it is all about one thing.

Long-distance runner Daniel Mateiko added: “Here we live like a family, we have different generations. We learn from our mentors, we help each other and train with one goal – achieving your dream.” AFP