Two times IAAF World championships marathon champion Abel Kirui will be the star attraction at the inaugural The Great Run For Hearing 10km Road Race.
Kirui, the 2016 Chicago marathon champion was named as the ambassador for the race set for 11th November 2018 in Eldoret.
The race will start at Kipkenyo junction past Rivatex, joining Eldoret-Kisumu road to Eldoret Town and end at Eldoret Central primary school ground.
Kirui who won the world titles in 2009 in Berlin, went ahead to defend his title in Daegu will be gracing the event as part of a motivation for both deaf and normal athletes who will compete for the coveted title in the City of Champions.
Event director and manager Angela Shuma and Edna Anassi under The Children Speech And Hearing Loss said that the event is set to attract many athletes as this is a region well known for athletes who have conquered the world in athletics.
They said competition will attract top runners, both deaf and normal who will compete in 10km competitive race and 5km family and corporate run and walk.
“We want to sensitize the community and the public at large about hearing challenges and educate them on what deaf people go through in life. They are normal people but face such hearing challenges only which cannot be separated from other people,” said Shuma in her office in Eldoret.
“Deaf people have no physical challenge that can be identified by anyone unless one communicates with them. The medical camp will be provided for free. With such testing report, we will be able to know the number and level at which we can move our next event to. We want to create awareness in many counties across the country,” added Shuma.
The money raised will be used to support deaf children in the society by buying them some hearing equipment, and educate care givers like parents on how to take care of such people especially children.
Anassi stated that before coming up with a solution of any hearing challenge, it is good to identify the problem.
“By tackling such problem, we need to know exactly what the course and it can be rectified in its early stages especially among young people between ages of one to five years. Our target is to change the life of a deaf person,” said Anassi.