Kenyan long distance runner Mary Ngugi’s early days of running were filled with excitement which at times would turn to fear. She would often times be concerned with keeping up with men’s intense pace as she trained in Nyahururu, a town in the Southern Rift Valley in Kenya. On top of that at 17 she had heard of allegations of harassment and sexual abuse in some of the runners’ training camps, both scaring her and causing her to constantly be on high alert.
When she was speaking to Olympics.com, she said that, “Most of these girls in these camps don’t say anything because they risk being chased out, When I was a junior [up until now] I know and have seen bad things happening in training camps to naïve young girls… I’m like, ‘This shouldn’t be happening,””
Being an established marathoner now, Ngugi decided to set up the first all girls training camp in Kenya, a place where the young athletes will also be guided and mentored by female coaches. Adding that, “We needed to give them a safe place where they can be themselves, where they can train without feeling they are in the shadow of men all the time.”
She went on to say that, “Women’s Athletics Alliance was more about empowering women, mentorship. And then we thought, it’s not just about mentorship, it’s not just about talking to these girls. We need to do something, give them a safe place, We thought it’s better to start a club where these girls can be themselves, free without the fear of like, I have to do certain things for me to (maintain) position at the camp. We also want this camp to have female coaches. So we are trying to help the female coaches develop and get more skills.”
Ngugi also founded the Nala Track Club which so far has five athletes between the ages of 16 and 22 with a plan to expand to 12 runners. On top of helping them become better runners, she is also assisting with their education. Saying that, “Some of the girls, when they join camps to begin training to become athletes, stop going to school because most camps don’t support this, while others are from very poor backgrounds and their parents cannot afford to pay their school fees. We are paying for their school fees and encouraging them to go to school. We also want to empower them for them to have a voice in society, not just in matters of athletics. When they are out there, they can communicate and speak out.”
The combination of sports and education has been proven to boost girls’ sports, and Ngugi is highlighting the importance of education in the sport, and finding mentors to work with the girls at her self-funded camp. Her goal for now is to have female coaches working with the girls at the Nala Track club and inspire her fellow athletes to consider coaching once they retire.
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