Many of the renowned athletes come from humble backgrounds which act as a reminder of the need to focus in order to succeed.
Women's Marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei began from a humble background where she dropped out of school due to a lack of fees.
The fastest woman in the 42.2 km race was one of seven children raised by a single mother in Elgeyo Marakwet.
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She started running while in primary school when she jogged since it was located 10km from her home - so to avoid getting late, Brigid often opted to run.
While on the runs to school the 28-year-old would meet athletes who were having their morning training.
During a past interview, the Marathon record holder noted that when in High School at form three her fee areas had accumulated to over Ksh171,000 which resulted in her dropping out.
"By the time I was in form three, the arrears were over Ksh171,000. My mother tried to convince me to stay on by saying she would borrow the money but I told her: For how long will we keep borrowing?" she stated.
At the age of 17, she had already started earning from her running career where she was able to help her family to the extent of paying her sibling's school fees.
Brigid, who was being trained by her boyfriend now husband Mathew Kosgei, took a break after giving birth to twins.
She however bounced back in 2015 and has since been able to win many medals where she is a one-time silver Olympic medalist and is also a world marathon record holder.
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