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16 Jun 2010 14:22:20
Four of the world’s greatest runners have graced the Bedford campus of the University of Bedfordshire.
The Kenyan athletes included a current Olympic champion and other prominent marathon runners who visited Polhill Avenue on Thursday (10 June) afternoon along with representatives from Athletics Kenya.
The four were:
The two-hour visit saw the Kenyans receive a tour of the state-of-the-art £8million sports science laboratories and the chance to use and be tested on some of the fabulous facilities including the treadmill, bod pods and cardiac ultrasound.
This was followed by a short question and answer session with selected students and staff, and then an opportunity for more informal discussions.
Professor John Brewer, the Professor of Sport at the University who organised the visit, said: “Never in the history of this university has there been four such high-calibre athletes on campus, let alone four from one particular sport.
“This was a fantastic opportunity for us to host some of the greatest runners in the world. All are very much from the ‘A list’ of world running.
“We were able to see them all in the laboratory but, most importantly, it was a great opportunity for our students to chat with them and learn about their training and lifestyles.
“We were all really impressed with how keen they were to interact with the students and I’m sure this will have been inspiring for our students who are about to embark on careers in sport and exercise.”
Professor Brewer conducted the tour, with testing carried out by PhD Research Student Jo Richards and Dr Nick Sculthorpe, Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology, adding his input.
The entire week-long visit by the Kenyans was organised by Bedford Borough Council and was supported by Athletics Kenya and a local charity called ‘Kenyan Community Bedford’.
It was aiming to inspire Bedford youngsters to take part in sport as a number of school visits also took place during their stay, and to create lasting partnerships and a legacy between the town and the African nation.
One of the athletes, Paula Radcliffe’s rival Catherine Ndereba who is herself a mum, is currently making her way back from injury.
She said: “Due to the lack of facilities in Kenya, there are not so many shorter or middle distance runners or field athletes, and so many longer distance ones.
“We’ve all been humbled by the hospitality and generosity we’ve received on our visit. We got a very warm welcome and we can’t thank everyone enough. We’ve learned a lot and hope we’ve inspired people on this visit, just like people have inspired all of us and taught us new things.”
Latest news» 2010» June» Quality Kenyan quartet tour Bedford campus
