Athletics Kenya (AK) confirmed that the 2023 Discovery Cross Country will take place on Sunday, January 29 in Uasin Gishu County.
The cross-country race, which is the oldest in the country, is scheduled to be staged at the Eldoret Sports Club.
Discovery Cross Country was first held in 1992 and continues to produce outstanding road race runners.
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At the time of its inception, the road race was called the Great Rift Valley Cross Country.
The event's rich history that spans over 31 years includes a long list of stars who have made their mark on the global scene.
Some of the Kenyan stars who broke into the limelight after the event include Brigid Kosgei - the reigning women’s marathon world record holder - Ngige Karanja, and Paul Lonyangata.
Kosgei has grown to become one of the best long-distance runners having won nearly all the major marathons in the world including London, Chicago, and Tokyo marathons.
She lowered Paula Radcliffe’s 16-year-old world record at the 2019 Chicago edition when she crossed the finishing line in 2:14.04.
Multiple world champion Vivian Cheruiyot and one-time world half marathon winner Bedan Karoki also competed at the Discovery Cross Country before they made a name for themselves on the international stage.
Cheruiyot, who recently took a maternity break, was born, raised, and studied a few kilometers from Uasin County, and thus used to compete in the Cross Country during her teenage years.
The national 10,000m record holder has won numerous races both in the individual and international categories since making her debut at the Discovery event.
In the 32 edition of the race, senior men will battle it out in the 10 km category while their women counterparts will face off in the 6 km.
The under-20 boys and girls runners competitors are expected to compete in the 8 km and 6 km categories respectively.
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