Marathons are no longer enough. Pain is to be relished, not circumvented. Hallucinations are normal. Loneliness is conventional. Fear is to be embraced.
This is the world 37-year-old Limo Kipkemoi now lives in. It has been this way for the last half a decade.
“I am an architect by profession. A scrabble player but also an ultra-runner and sometimes, a hiker,” the bubbly chairman of Scrabble Kenya, introduces himself.
He has just returned to Kenya from Thailand where he was the Chef De mission of Team Kenya at the World Youth Scrabble Championships.
But he also found time to do a 161-kilometre run on the Doi Nhok trail termed the toughest footrace in Thailand.
“I always look out for events where I can double up. Like now Thailand was perfect because I was running and scrabbling. I finished the race in 44 hours. Unforgettable.” he tells BDLife.
Ultra running defies conventional logic. Yet this most brutal and challenging sport seems to be one of the fastest-growing niches of endurance activities in the country.
Is it an antidote to modern life, or a symptom of modern illness? I ask.
Kipkemoi grins nodding.
“Ultra-run is any run beyond a marathon stretch and since I love mountains, I always pick the ones with crazy elevations and Thailand was one of them. The elevation was 8,337 metres, it is actually like climbing Mt Kenya four times.
That’s the hardest run in Thailand and I understand it will be discontinued this year because it’s just too tough,” Limo responds with another grin.
So tough was the run that out of the 17 runners who started, only three finished.
“I finished the race at 11 pm on Saturday having started the previous day in the morning. We had to toss a coin to determine who would take positions one and two since two of us crossed the finish line at the same time. The next guy arrived on Sunday at 11 am,” he says.
Besides testing one's endurance levels, ultra-running can be a lonely sport.
“At some point, I was alone from kilometres 10 to 100, day and night. You are crossing rivers, in the thickets, forests, and villages. On one night I could hear footstep-like noises, which I could tell were not of a human but an animal trailing me but I had to soldier on. I guess animals don’t bother if not threatened,” says Limo who has also summited Mt Kenya four times at night.
Lonely as it may be, harsh and extreme as it may come for an ultra-runner of Limo's specs, getting to that finish line is all that counts.
“We do not do it for praise. There is no prize money, trail runs are actually like fun runs. Most of us do it seeking to find the edge of what’s possible and push beyond. I also do it for peace. Some peace that you can’t get anywhere hugs you, especially during night runs.”
Out-of-body moments
Limo describes the experience as ‘out of body moments’. Only twice since he started running has he had such moments. One was in Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and the other on Mt Kenya.
“Imagine it is midnight. You are alone in the mountains. There is no network, nobody around you. People (organisers, putters) know you are in the mountains but no one knows where you are exactly. If an animal attacks you that might be the end of you. If you accidentally trip and fall you could die but still, there is some peace that greats you at that moment that you are ready for anything.”
Limo Kipkemoi poses on a cliff during an Ultra Trail Capetown 100km footrace, in South Africa in November 2021. PHOTO | POOL
The bug bites
But Limo was not always this eager to live life on the edge in the pursuit of an adventure. He was 32 when a group of friends asked him to join them on a trail run around Lake Naivasha. The stretch was 74 kilometres.
“I couldn’t understand why they did this for fun. I almost fainted. I was so gassed up after 20 kilometres and dehydrated that they had to leave me behind. I remember spotting a roadblock, walked past the policemen to their vehicle, opened the door saw some water bottle, grabbed it, drunk and left without a word. They all gazed at me, they could tell I was wasted. I wasn’t well prepared for the run, no right gear just some shorts and hockey shoes. I needed to have a backpack which I didn’t have. Even though I finished the race (in 10 hours) I was so pissed off and vowed never to do it again,” says Limo.
But the bug had already bitten, and he found himself doing a lot of research to understand ultra-running which sometimes encompasses excursions.
“For starters, you have to be extremely physically fit, there is no shortcut. Thankfully, I have always been fit to some level, having played hockey in the Kenyan premier league for Wazalendo,” he points out.
Secondly, you need to have the right gear.
“There was an instance when my friend and I got lost on Mt Kilimanjaro at the peak for six hours. We were thigh-deep in snow but we were well-prepared with the right gear- a waterproof trouser, a GPS watch, food to sustain us for a minimum of two days, a life blanket, a life jacket, and first aid kits among other necessary props. With this endurance sport, you just don’t freestyle. You pack so tight and neat such that you have items to sustain you up to three days in a small bag.”
Getting lost on Mt Kenya
There was also a time they got lost on Mt Kenya and had to sleep in a cave under the extremely harsh cold conditions of the mountain.
“We slept very comfortably because we had the right gears.” But this level of preparation doesn’t come cheap.
As we chit-chat, Limo's left hand spots a simple but sophisticated Garmin GPS watch which from its appearance could easily pass for less than Sh10,000. It cost him Sh100,000.
“This can guide you from anywhere in the world. So, even if they leave you in the middle of the Sahara Desert, be assured you will find your way out because it has the entire map of the world, all you need is to search for the nearest place. Also, the battery power is lethal. For instance, if I am on Mt Kenya and set it to power mode I can go for another 128 hours without needing to recharge.”
There is also a light crop top vest that acts as a storage that set him back Sh18,000.
“It’s comfortable, compact, intact and too spacious. You will throw every little thing you need; your phone, map, chocolates bar, you name it, and it will never get full. And while running the packed items will never fall off. It literary hugs your body. It’s a storage vest.” he adds.
Ulta Runner Limo Kipkemoi taking a rest at the slopes of Umbwe Caves on Mt Kilimanjaro in June 2022. PHOTO | POOL
Picking the right shoes is also another important element when you want to do an ultra-run or go on these extreme hikes.
“My recent new pair is Alta Lone Peak trails shoes which cost me Sh16,000. In a year I use a minimum of 10 pairs. In 2023 I surpassed that number. This is because sometimes in one trail the shoes become redundant because of wear and tear. Listen, with shoes, you can’t compromise, you have to invest,” Limo emphasises.
Trail achievements
Of his trail achievements, Limo has more than enough scenarios to vaunt about.
“I have done 360 kilometres running around Mt Kenya. I hold the record for the highest number of successful climbs of Mt Kenya in a day as well. The target was 10 but I did it 6 times until my heels couldn’t take it anymore. I was on the mountain for 60 hours, summiting and descending.”
He once also did a 500km trail run from Mt Kilimanjaro to Kenya but first had to summit the tallest peak in Africa before taking on the run back home.
“It took me eight days. I would do an average of 80km run per day and sleep where darkness found me.”
There was also a time when he took the challenge of executing the duties of a porter while on trek to Mt Kilimanjaro.
“I wanted to understand the world of a porter (mountain helper). They are the engines of the mountains. I wanted to have a feel of summiting the mountain carrying supplies for hikers. The bag weighed over 30 kilogrammes and packed everything, from sufurias, jiko, lantern, to utensils, tents, sleeping bags, and blankets. When we summited and put down the bag I felt like my shoulders would rip out of my body,” he recalls.
Nonetheless, he would still do it again and again.
Limo Kipkemoi poses during a 10-times Summit Challenge of Mt Kenya in November 2022. PHOTO | POOL
“One, I do this for my fitness and secondly, I like touring and enjoying sceneries. I have done a 100km run in South Africa, I tried doing it in India but the dogs couldn’t let me. For some reason, there are very many stray dogs in India that just follow you.”
To enjoy this pain, Limo has developed a saving culture as it’s something he plans to keep doing until he is 50 before he can find something else to do.
“I save up every year because trail running also offers sightseeing, something I enjoy. I guess I am the only guy to do an ultra-run in Kenya in each of the 47 counties. Kenya is beautiful and harsh. Picture an ultra-run in Turkana under a scorching sun. Temperature is 42 degrees even the phone dies but you are still doing 50km.”
Savage as they may seem, ultra runs are expensive.
“Registering for these runs is expensive. There are some I have paid Sh40,000 just to register. Now I am planning to do an ultra-run across the Sahara Desert and registration alone is Sh400,000 just to get that ticket. I want that experience. I also look forward to doing Mt Everest someday, I know I will need about Sh6 million on the minimum,” he says.
