Linet and Moses Masai had to get over a long distance every morning when they studied at Bishop Okiring secondary school in the western part of Kenya. Ben Tumwet, their former teacher of physical culture, said that they walked about 10 km (or over 6 miles) to reach their school located in the Kamuneru village. According to Mr. Tumwet, this challenge has turned out to be favorable for the siblings. Linet was the winner of the 10,000-meter distance at the World Championships which took place in Berlin in 2009. As for Moses, he was a bronze medalist in the event for men.
Current pupils have to get over a similar distance every morning as they suffer the same transport lack in the Mount Elgon foothills in Kenya. Many of them are inspired by the achievements of Linet and Moses Masai and want to earn their own records.
For instance, Sammy, who is 17 years old and lives the same distance away from Bishop Okiring secondary school, has an exhausting schedule. He gets up at 4 a.m., has his breakfast, leaves his home and usually comes to school at 6 a.m. In addition to a long distance, he faces a lot of various obstacles on his way such as wild animals in the forest, muddy roads and the river’s overflow. But he does not give up because his has an aim to become a well-educated person and work as a lawyer.
However, Naboth Okadie, a headmaster of the school, states that there are only 2 children who have succeeded in their sports careers due to this problem among all the other pupils. Teachers have fears for children’s safety as they have to come back home in the evening. Susan, another pupil of Bishop Okiring secondary school, says that she does not enjoy her journey as she is scared to get over 5 km alone. She also sometimes falls because of the muddy route and has to come back home to change her clothes. It is very hard for her to concentrate at her lessons as she feels very tired.
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