While Kenya is globally renowned for producing the world’s fastest marathon runners, mountain and trail running are still emerging as career paths for the country’s running elite. A sport can only be considered truly competitive when the absolute best athletes from around the globe push its boundaries, and Kenyan mountain and trail runners are helping to evolve the disciplines. One such trailblazer is Joyce Njeru.
In the film “Not Just Running With Joyce Njeru,” the brand NNormal gives us a glimpse into Njeru’s life in Kenya, where running is much more than a sport. Becoming a pro runner is life-changing, and winning can improve not only a family’s life but also an entire community’s.
The film opens as we follow Njeru on a morning run. The soft glow of first light in the East African sky gives an ethereal feel. Njeru describes the peaceful ritual of her morning run, “I like the environment, everything with the air and the sounds. You can hear every kind of movement that is going around.” It’s a sentiment shared by runners worldwide, who seek out early morning miles for the unique peace and renewed energy they offer.
Njeru trains in Nyahururu, Kenya, a popular training ground for marathon runners in west-central Kenya. It sits at an elevation of 7,556 feet (2,303 meters). Nyahururu serves as a gateway to several mountain ranges, though they are all a one-hour drive or more. One of its most notable residents was Samuel Wanjiru, the previous Olympic Marathon record holder and the first Kenyan to win the marathon at the Olympics.
Joyce Njeru training in rural Kenya at sunrise. All images are screenshots from the film “Not Just Running With Joyce Njeru.”
In the film, we meet Lucy Wambui Murigi, the 2017 and 2018 World Mountain Running Champion, and among the earliest of Kenyan runners to venture into international mountain running, who explains, “Everybody here running in Kenya, they run to earn a living.” From profoundly modest beginnings, Njeru speaks of the importance of helping her family get ahead. She describes her busy daily routine of caring for her family while also training.
According to locals in Njeru’s home village of Karai, several hours south of Nyahururu, many families struggle to secure even two meals a day. Today, Njeru often returns home, remembering a childhood spent dreaming of independence and self-sufficiency. Now, as a professional runner, her grueling training, perseverance, and ultimate desire to win aren’t fueled by personal glory but by the desire to lift up her family and community and offer them means to a better life.
In the film, we learn that Njeru’s running talent, coupled with her competitive nature, was evident at an early age. She achieved success in local races, which fueled her passion for running and strengthened her confidence. At 17, she ran a trail race and never looked back. She loved the mountains, and her curiosity for them drove her. Njeru told Wambui Murigi, a friend and mentor, that the road and track were not for her.
The most common theme throughout this film is Njeru’s positive self-talk and self-assurance. Running culture, talent, and desire to persevere for the greater good can only get you so far without the self-belief that Njeru embodies.
Joyce Njeru runs for herself, her family, and her community.
An additional defining moment in the film is in an interview with Njeru’s mother, Magareth. “When I was 14, I was running, but I had to stop because I didn’t get the support.”
For mountain and trail running to truly evolve and include the absolute best global talent, the industry needs dedicated support from forward-thinking brands like NNormal. However, as we see in this film, it’s not just about the running — for Kenyan athletes like Njeru and the sport itself. It’s about developing a career path that offers an opportunity to benefit entire communities.
Joyce Njeru will no doubt continue to put Kenya on the map in mountain running and will surely inspire the next generation. To learn more about her, check out our profile, “A Queen Never Quits.”
