Iten is a town in Elgeyo-Marakwet County in the Republic of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. Iten serves as the capital and is the largest town in the county. The town is located along the road between

Eldoret Eldoret is a principal town in the Rift Valley region of Kenya and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town was referred to by white settlers as Farm 64, 64 and colloquially by locals as 'Sisibo'. As per the 2019 Kenya Populatio ...

and Kabarnet at the junction of the road heading to Kapsowar.

Elgeyo escarpment Elgeyo escarpment is a fault-scarp caused by post-Miocene faulting. Miocene beds are still visible. The escarpment is part of the western wall of the Great Rift Valley. The northwest part of Kenya has three main geographic zones running in parall ...

and

Kerio River The Kerio River is a river in Turkana County, Kenya. It flows northward into Lake Turkana. It is one of the longest rivers in Kenya, originating near the equator. Course The Kerio River rises on the north slopes of the Amasya Hills to the west ...

are located east of Iten. The town has a population of 42,312. It forms a common local authority (Iten/Tambach town council) with Tambach, a small town in the vicinity. Iten was the headquarters of the former Elgeyo-Marakwet District since 1966, when it replaced Tambach.The Standard, March 11, 2009
Scenic town continues to churn out refined athletes
/ref> Gateway to Iten town

The name of the town is a corruption of ''Hill Ten'', a local rock formation named by Joseph Thomson in 1883. The hill is located 800 meters outside the village, on the road toward Kessup. It can be best viewed from the Iten Viewpoint.

Naming

The name is a local corruption of Hill Ten, a local rock formation that was named by Joseph Thompson in 1883.MORRIS KIRUGA. Daily Nation. How local dialects influenced naming of west Kenya towns. 23 July 201

He inscribed the words Hill Ten on a rock while exploring the Kerio Valley to mark the number of hills he had conquered. The hill is located about 800 metres outside the main town, on the road toward Kessup.

Running community

St. Patrick's High School (Iten, Kenya), St. Patrick's High School is located in Iten. The school has, over the last 30 years, produced world-class long distance athletes. Alumni include Ibrahim Hussein, winner of three

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ...

s and one

New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

; Peter Rono, a 1988 Olympic gold medalist at 1,500 meters; Wilson Boit Kipketer, a 1997 world champion and 2000 Olympic silver medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase;

Matthew Birir Matthew Kiprotich Birir (born 5 July 1972) is a former athlete from Kenya, winner of 3000 m steeplechase at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Biography Born in Eldama Ravine, Matthew Birir started running, when he attended at the famous St. Patrick' ...

, 1992 Olympic gold medalist at the 3,000-meter steeplechase; and

David Rudisha David Lekuta Rudisha, MBS (born 17 December 1988) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres. He is a two-time back-to-back Olympic champion from the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics, a two-time World champion from ...

, 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medalist and world record holder at 800m. The coach of these athletes, Brother Colm O'Connell of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, came to Iten in 1976 expecting to stay just three months. He has lived in Iten ever since. Many athletes, including Rudisha, and world champions Edna Kiplagat, Florence Kiplagat, Lornah Kiplagat, Linet Masai, and Mary Keitany, have made homes in Iten. O'Connell is credited in starting the influx of female athletes to Iten in the early 1990s when he trained and hosted World Champion Sally Barsosio, Rose Cheruiyot, and world junior champion Lydia Cheromei (all of whom lived in O'Connell's back garden houses). Each Christmas Eve, the town plays host to the largest women's-only race in Kenya, The Shoe4Africa 5km. It was in the 2006 edition of this race that world champion Mary Keitany began her athletics career.Runner's World Racing News
/ref> The town hosts the high altitude training centre, HATC, founded in 1999 by Lornah Kiplagat and Pieter Langerhorst. Other landmarks include the Kerio View Hotel founded in 1995 by Jean Paul Fourier. In 2012, the World Record holder in marathon (second fastest at that time) Wilson Kipsang, opened the Keeluu Resort: a lodging, conference and dining center. The book ''More Fire'' by Toby Tanser, 2008, was written in and based on Iten, as was Tanser's earlier book ''Train Hard, Win easy. The Kenyan Way.'' 1997. Iten is also a featured location in Adharanand Finn's 2012 book ''Running With The Kenyans''.

Notable people

* Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo – Olympic track & field athlete, born in Iten, lives in the USA. *

Mary Keitany Mary Jepkosgei Keitany (born 18 January 1982) is a Kenyan former professional long distance runner. She is the world record holder in a women-only marathon, having won the 2017 London Marathon in a time of 2:17:01. As of November 2022, she pla ...

– Olympic track & field athlete, lives in Iten. *

Edna Kiplagat Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat (born 15 November 1979) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the 2011 and 2013 World Champion in the marathon. She established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and New ...

– Olympic track & field athlete, trained in Iten, lives in Colorado. *

Florence Kiplagat Florence Jebet Kiplagat (born 27 February, 1987) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion, having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. ...

– Olympic track & field athlete, lives in Iten. * Lornah Kiplagat – Olympic track & field athlete, lives in Holland, Nairobi, and Iten. *

– Olympic track & field athlete, lives in Eldoret, trained in Iten. *

Asbel Kiprop Asbel Kipruto Kiprop (born 30 June 1989) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner, who specialises in the 1500 metres. He was awarded the 1500 m gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics after the original winner, Rashid Ramzi, tested positive f ...

– Olympic track & field athlete, trained in Iten, lives in Eldoret. * Wilson Kipsang – Olympic track & field athlete, lives and trains in Iten. *

Joyce Chepkurui Joyce Chepkirui (born 20 August 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in road running events. She established herself as a half marathon runner, winning races in Granollers, Bogotá and Gothenburg. She set a best of 1:06:19 hours ...

– Olympic track & field athlete, trained in Iten. *

Sally Barsosio Sally Barsosio (born 21 March 1978 in Keiyo District) is a Kenyan distance runner. , Barsosio is the youngest ever medallist at the World Junior Championships in Athletics, at 14 years and 182 days. Career In 1993, aged 15 years 153 days, she wo ...

– Olympic track & field athlete. Years 1993 to 1997, trained in Iten. * Brother Colm O'Connell – World renowned coach. Lives in Iten. * Stephen Cherono – World record holder track & field athlete, trained in Iten, lives in Eldoret. *

Lydia Cheromei Lydia Cheromei (born 15 May 1977, in Baringo District) is a Kenyan athlete born into a family of athletes. She specialises in long distance running. She rose to fame at the age of thirteen with a win in the junior race at the IAAF World Cross C ...

– World champion track & field athlete. Years 1992 to 2010. * Jake Robertson - New Zealand national marathon record holder. At 17 he moved to Iten, Kenya with his twin brother and fellow professional runner Zane Robertson. * Zane Robertson - Olympic track & field athlete, twin brother of New Zealand national marathon record holder Jake Robertson. * Agnes Tirop - Olympic world record holder killed in Iten in 2021.

Notable places

* St. Patrick's High School (Iten, Kenya), St. Patrick's High School – A boys-only national secondary school which has fostered many notable athletes. * View Point – A private park that sits at the edge of the

and has views of both Thompson's Hill number ten and the Gregory Rift

References

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20070318110920/http://www.geocities.com/hatc99/where.htm *http://www.lornah.com/ {{First and second-level administrative divisions of Kenya Elgeyo-Marakwet County Populated places in Rift Valley Province County capitals in Kenya