Interview with Salina Kosgei

By Shannon Martin Morehouse

One of the top-seeded women in this year’s Flora London Marathon is Salina Kosgei of Kenya. So far this year, Kosgei, 31, has performed phenomenally, posting wins at the Lisbon Half-Marathon and at the Ras Al Khaimah Half-Marathon. She won the first two marathons she entered—Paris in 2004 and Prague in 2005—and she was fourth in the ING New York City Marathon 2005.

New York Road Runners caught up with Kosgei, a former 800-meter standout and the 2002 Commonwealth Games 10,000-meter gold medalist, via e-mail. Kosgei describes current training, what it feels like to be a marathoner, how the violence in Kenya has impacted her training, and her goals for the rest of the year.

New York Road Runners: Congratulations on your win at the Lisbon Half-Marathon. Tell us how the race unfolded for you. Were you pleased with your performance?
Salina Kosgei: Thanks. I was training hard for the [Flora] London Marathon so I was very happy with how well I ran. All of the [top] athletes stayed together in this race; the pace was not too fast, and we finished together in a sprint.

NYRR: You also won the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in the UAE earlier this year. That was an extremely close finish. Tell us how that race unfolded for you.
SK: Everyone was running tactically so I decided to wait as much as possible and go for the kick. I was also surprised to run so well since we did not train properly and with consistency due to the ongoing fighting in Kenya at the time. I don't think any of the Kenyan athletes who had trained at home expected too much of themselves that day since the problems back home really hindered any sort of continuous training.

NYRR: Your countrywoman Pamela Chepchumba has been finishing very close to you in recent races. Are the two of you friends?
SK: Yes, Pamela and I are good friends and in Lisbon I asked that we work together to try to run very fast, but [Berhane] Adere was telling the pacemakers to slow down. But yes, if and when we are in races together, we often will discuss tactics and what to do.

NYRR: Do you have any planned strategies for the Flora London Marathon?
SK: It is impossible to know how London will unfold since there are always so many good athletes there. In these sorts of situations I normally will stay in the back to see how things develop and decide tactics during the race. Of course, with the marathon being so tough, a lot also will depend on how your body will react on that day. We all know that in the marathon everything needs to be just perfect on that particular day.

NYRR: You placed fourth last year in London. Do you have any specific time or place goals this year?
SK: I do not want to express any goal or expectations since anything can happen on the day of the marathon. I can only promise that I will give my very best to run as well and as fast as possible. Any time I run, however, conditions permitting, I always have the goal of at least running a personal best [her current personal best is 2:23:22 from the 2006 real,- Berlin Marathon].

NYRR: Tell us more about where you train and typical workouts for your marathon training.
SK: I am currently training in Kaptagat, Kenya. Typical workouts are an hour or so runs on the packed red-earth roads here in the area.
During the buildup to a marathon I always train twice a day and for a specific long run I may go to my family home near Eldoret and run there. I also do track sessions (such as 1-kilometer repeats or sometimes 3-4 times 5000 meters) where you would need to have a specific result/response to know where you are at with your training.

NYRR: Do you miss competing in the 800 meters at all? It seems as though your experience in the 800 has helped you to win many long-distance races by sprinting to the finish. Do you agree?
SK: It's true! I still can use this speed at times, but the 800 meters is by now a distant memory. I would run 2:15 if I had to put on the spikes!
Now the marathon is my event and it is has given me a lot. I enjoyed running at 800 meters and also at 10,000 meters, but I've found my calling in the marathon.

NYRR: When did you begin running and who were your early mentors or coaches?
SK: I started running longer distances in 1998 by participating in road races and cross country. In 2002 I ran the 10,000 meters at the Commonwealth Games and then I decided to move up in distance. I saw other athletes moving up to the marathon and I thought this would also be a good idea. Also my manager [Eric Lilot] as well, seeing my results at the different distances, realized I should try the marathon. Back in 2004 my first coach was Amos Korir but recently I have been training mainly on my own. I have a program given to me by Renato Canova, but I also have enough experience to change or adjust something if need be.

NYRR: How old were you when you decided to focus on marathons and how was the transition for you?
SK: I was actually around 27 when I switched to marathon. And this is normally a good time/age since your body has had the chance to mature and to take advantage of all the years of endless miles in training. The transition for a 10,000-meter runner is normally not too difficult as it means just adding on more long runs and more mileage, but it has to be done with intelligence since if you increase your training too suddenly you can be prone to injury.

NYRR: I am relieved to hear that the post-election violence in Kenya has subsided. It must have been very scary for you.
SK: It was horrible...It goes without saying that it was the scariest time of not just my life, but also of the lives of all Kenyans in areas where there was unrest.
There are many who feel that it will take decades for Kenya to return to normal. However, we are happy that the violence has ended and that things have returned to normal. At the time of the violence, athletes had to stay indoors and could not train. Even if you were of the same tribe as the protesters in the streets, if they saw you training, they would stop you and ask why you were out running when you should be there to join the protest or fight with them. It goes without saying that it was particularly dangerous for women. We are praying hard [that it] will not happen again.

NYRR: Do you have a farm in Kenya? Tell us more about your life there and what you enjoy doing when you are not running.
SK: We still have the farm near Eldoret. We now spend most of our time in Kaptagat and normally time on the farm is spent during the planting and harvesting seasons, or after I'm done with a race. Harvesting unfortunately was not possible in many areas due to the unrest in Kenya. I am the mother of two children so actually all of my spare time is dedicated to them! I even brought them to two races last year including the Tokyo City Women's Marathon. We were treated very well by the organizers and the children had such a good time in Japan they were even saying they didn't want to return home! Even though I spend a lot of time and energy training and gearing up for a race, I don't mind my family being there with me before a major competition. My children, along with my husband, give me strength and make me happy.

NYRR: What are your immediate goals for the rest of 2008 and what ultimate goals do you hope to achieve in your running career?
SK: My immediate goal is to to run as well and fast as possible in London since if I want to have the chance to fulfill my dream of running in the Olympics, I must be selected for the Kenyan team, and that selection will be finalized after the spring marathons, in particular London and Boston.

Interview conducted April 4, 2008, and posted April 10, 2008.