As Eldoret takes centre stage this week as host of this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations, the City of Champions has more to showcase than its world-famous runners.
Beyond the tracks that have produced global athletics stars, the city’s skyline increasingly bears the names of champions who have channeled their sporting fortunes into shopping centres, hotels, schools and real estate, turning success on the track into business ventures.
The investments reflect a growing legacy of athletes from across the North Rift who are putting their earnings into enterprises in Eldoret, a city whose economy has traditionally been anchored by agriculture but which has evolved into a major commercial, educational, medical and sporting hub.
Kenya’s running legends building fortunes beyond the track:(From left) Moses Kiptanui, Daniel Komen, Moses Tanui, Eliud Kipchoge and Ibrahim Hussein among others.
Photo credit: NMG
For decades, Eldoret has been synonymous with world-beating athletes producing distance runners who have conquered international tracks and roads.
But away from the roar of crowds and the glory of podium finishes, a different race is taking shape, one in which champions are building businesses, investing in property and securing their futures beyond athletics.
Across the city, the names of celebrated runners are increasingly appearing on shopping centres, commercial buildings, supermarkets, schools and hospitality establishments, adding another dimension to Eldoret’s commercial identity.
Former world 3,000-metre steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui is among those who have established a significant business presence in the region, with investments including Komora Centre, a six-storey building, Komora Gardens and Tulin Supermarkets.
Former three-time 3,000m Steeplechase World Champion Moses Kiptanui, during an interview at his office in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County on October 14, 2025.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
A three-time world champion, Kiptanui won gold in Tokyo in 1991, Stuttgart in 1993 and Gothenburg in 1995. Having transitioned from football to athletics, he is now among the former runners encouraging athletes to invest their earnings wisely.
In an interview, he said Eldoret had become a natural investment destination because of its infrastructure, commercial opportunities and proximity to some of the country’s leading high-altitude training centres.
“Eldoret is good for business and many athletes who have earned some good money have always seen the city as a good place to train and reside. They might be heading to the higher-altitude areas like Iten and Kaptagat in Elgeyo Marakwet County but head back to invest there,” said Kiptanui.
He noted that many athletes hail from the North Rift, a region that has produced numerous world-class runners, making Eldoret a natural place for them to settle and invest.
The city’s strategic location and access to Eldoret International Airport also make it attractive to athletes who travel internationally for competitions, training and other engagements.
Its links to neighbouring countries, including Uganda and South Sudan, add to its commercial appeal.
Kiptanui urged active athletes to plan for life after competition by investing in viable businesses, noting that their careers at the highest level do not last forever.
Another pioneer is Ibrahim Hussein, the first African man to win the prestigious Boston Marathon in 1988.
Hussein has invested in the hospitality industry through Lobo Village, which also hosts the Sirikwa Classic, a World Cross Country Tour Gold event held annually. He also owns Amedo Centre in Eldoret’s Central Business District.
Ibrahim Hussein, who chaired Kenya’s bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships, during an interview at his home in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County on September 18, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
Two-time Boston Marathon champion Moses Tanui has also ventured into business through Grandpri, extending his legacy beyond his achievements on the roads.
Two-time Boston Marathon Champion Moses Tanui, during a press conference at Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County on October 28, 2025.
Photo credit: File| Nation Media Group
Fred Kiprop has invested in Kirem Arcade while legendary Olympian Kipchoge Keino’s name is associated with Kip Keino Sports House, another landmark linking the city’s athletics heritage to its commercial landscape.
Keino, one of Kenya’s earliest global athletics icons, also turned to education after retiring from competitive sport. He established Kipkeino Primary School and Kipkeino High School, both situated on the outskirts of Eldoret.
Former world record holder Daniel Komen followed a similar path, investing in education through Potters Academy, while former middle-distance runner Laban Rotich has a presence in the city’s commercial property sector through Johannesburg Plaza.
World 3,000m Record Holder Daniel Komen follows proceedings during the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Term One National Games at Moi Girls’ High School, in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County, on April 28, 2023.
Photo credit: File| Nation Media Group
For some of the country’s most celebrated athletes, real estate has become a key investment avenue.
World marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, former New York Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor and two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge are among the athletes who have invested in property.
Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge reacts after the Sydney Marathon.
Photo credit: Hollie Adams/ Reuters
Four-times New York Marathon champion Mary Keitany who made her name in the long distance has also invested in the hospitality industry. She owns Winstar Hotel in Eldoret, which is a three-star hotel.
Keitany, who resides in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet, announced her retirement in 2021, aged 39 years, which was occasioned by a hip injury she suffered during the 2019 London Marathon, which restricted her training and performance.
Such investments offer a potential route to long-term financial security in a profession where income can fluctuate with performance, injuries, sponsorship deals and the demands of international competition.
At the elite level, athletics can generate prize money, appearance fees, sponsorship income and international recognition. However, maintaining that earning power over many years is not guaranteed.
Property, retail businesses, hospitality facilities and other enterprises can provide alternative sources of income and assets that remain valuable after an athlete’s competitive years are over.
For Kiptanui, the message to younger runners is that success on the track should be accompanied by careful financial planning and investment.
The challenge, however, is not simply to invest, but to identify viable ventures, manage them professionally and avoid risking hard-earned money in businesses they do not understand.
Eldoret’s growing business identity is closely linked to the wider athletics ecosystem in the North Rift, where training centres and the steady movement of local and international runners have created opportunities beyond competition itself.
In Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, popularly known as the “Home of Champions”, current and former athletes have invested in training camps, accommodation facilities, restaurants and other businesses serving runners who travel to the high-altitude town from across Kenya and around the world.
The concentration of athletes seeking suitable training conditions has helped create demand for accommodation, food, coaching facilities and related services, extending the economic benefits of athletics to other businesses and workers.
Kapsabet in Nandi County has followed a similar path. Its reputation as a major training centre has helped stimulate businesses linked directly and indirectly to athletics.
Together, Eldoret, Iten and Kapsabet form an investment landscape in which sporting talent, training facilities, hospitality and commercial activity increasingly intersect.
For Eldoret, the opportunity extends beyond the achievements of individual runners. The city has traditionally drawn strength from agriculture but has also grown into a major commercial, educational, medical and sporting centre in the North Rift.
Its history dates back to 1908, when 58 Afrikaner families from South Africa relocated from Nakuru and Mombasa to the Uasin Gishu Plateau. Led by Jan van Rensburg, they arrived at Sergoit Hill, near present-day Eldoret, on October 22 that year.
From a population of 18,196 in 1969, Eldoret grew to 475,716 people in the 2019 census, making it the country’s fifth most populous urban centre at the time.
The city’s growth, combined with its sporting reputation, infrastructure and expanding commercial activity, has created an environment in which athletes can train, live and invest.
As Eldoret continues to strengthen its identity beyond athletics, the investments made by its champions offer a glimpse of how sporting success can contribute to a broader local economy.
The medals and records may define their careers, but the businesses, schools and properties they leave behind could become an equally enduring part of their legacy.
