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Marathon champ Tegla Loroupe keeps on running

Tegla Loroupe. (Photo: Daniel Rihs)

Tegla Loroupe, the two-time world marathon record holder and three-time world half-marathon champion from Kenya, was one of the celebrity sport guests in Magglingen this year.

And the star of this petite, modest athlete shone bright during the event – when she wasn’t addressing the delegates as a panel member, she was speaking either to the press or adoring fans anxious to have their five minutes with this international sportswoman.

Loroupe has made the transition from world athlete to humanitarian champion. The Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation is working in Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia to promote conflict resolution, peace building and poverty reduction.

“I am a role model,” Loroupe says simply and without pretence, “and the foundation is educating people to appreciate life, so that they can go and do something for themselves.”

One way to a better life is through sport.

“People can always use their skills if they are sportspeople and earn a living,” she explained.

Loroupe has set up a training camp, which has had some success.

“I have already brought some athletes to Germany and some are in America and now they can help themselves and give the little money they have to pay for their school fees or their brothers and sisters,” she said.

“It’s helping in a small way but it’s better than nothing,” she added.

Standing apart

Another project on her mind is to increase access to water.

“We are planning to make boreholes in communities where they have no water because women travel almost 50km to waterholes and how much water can you carry? I went through these problems - I know what it means to carry water from place to another.”

And that is what sets Loroupe apart from some of the delegates in Magglingen – she knows first hand of the problems that people in developing countries experience to eke out an existence because she was once one of them not so long ago in the West Pokot district.

Subjected to genital mutilation, she was born to parents, who did not want her to go to school. However, with the assistance of other family members and friends, she completed her education and managed to train to become one of the fastest women in the world.

Nationalism, despite her rough ride, determines her benevolent actions.

“It’s the way you love your people. Many athletes are in the same situation but many forget to look back. I try to look back because I have to give back to the people who helped me when I had problems.”

Bringing joy

Her main motivation, though, seems to be the sense of happiness she has when she helps someone.

“Every time I do something, I feel joy, it’s like freeing yourself. When you help your neighbour, it gives you joy but it’s not easy work,” she said.

As for the conference, she enjoys the informal atmosphere where ideas can be exchanged with sport personalities and politicians alike.

“When we are here, we have a common cause. I was talking here to the Swiss President Samuel Schmid without fear, like he was a sportsman,” she explained.