Kenyan Athlete, Patrick Makau:My passion leads me

How did you become a renowned world-class athlete?

I started running 5,000m and 1,0000m while in Form Two at Kyeni Academy, in Kangundo. I didn’t run in primary school because the school didn’t participate in athletics. After winning competitions up to the national level and making my school famous, the administration gave me a scholarship to study for free. This helped me because l could not raise fees. At this time, the 2005 Rotterdam champion Jimmy Muindi, who comes from my area, heard of a boy who was doing well in athletics and came to see me. He encouraged and advised me to remain focused. After Form Four, Muindi took me to his youth training camp in Ngong' and trained me for two years, before linking me to international competitions. My first competition was in the 25K half marathon in Berlin, which l won. I have since participated in several other half marathons such as Zanzibar, Rotterdam, City-Pier-City Loop and the Reading Half Marathons. I’ve also participated in the Ras Al Khaimah, Bristol, Tarsus , Frankfurt Marathon, Rotterdam Marathon and Granollers Half Marathons, among others.