The defending champion of both the Ascent and 23k at the Broken Arrow Skyrace, Kenya’s Patrick Kipngeno, is back to try to win the 23k. During this interview, he talks about how he’s dealing with all of his luggage being lost in transport to California, his hopes for the race, the growing Kenyan mountain and trail running teams, and his racing plans for the rest of the summer.
For more on who’s racing, check out our in-depth Ascent and 23k previews and follow our live race coverage of the Ascent on Friday and the 23k on Sunday.
[Editor’s Note: If you are unable to see the video above, click here to access it.]
Patrick Kipngeno Pre-2025 Broken Arrow Skyrace Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Patrick Kipngeno. It’s a couple of days before the Broken Arrow Ascent and Skyrace. Welcome back to America, Patrick. How are you doing?
Patrick Kipngeno: I’m doing good. Yeah.
iRunFar: You have been to the Broken Arrow Skyraces before. Last year, you were the winner of both the Ascent and the 23k. You’re a double champion. How does it feel coming back as the defending champ?
Kipngeno: I’m feeling great and I’m very happy that I have come back again to defend my title.
iRunFar: You and Philemon [Kiriago], your close friend, arrived in America yesterday, but your luggage has not arrived.
Kipngeno: Yeah. It is just a bit discouraging, but I told Philemon that we have to believe that we are the best and we forget about the luggage and we focus for the races.
iRunFar: It doesn’t matter what’s on your feet or what you’re wearing, it’s just about the running. Right?
Kipngeno: Yeah. It’s just about the running. Yeah.
iRunFar: You were at Broken Arrow Skyrace last year, so you learned the courses, you felt the altitude, you saw the snow. Coming back with all that knowledge this year, do you think about how you can improve your performance or how you’ll be at the races this weekend?
Kipngeno: Yeah. Of course. We as an athlete, we normally learn through experience. So we know all the course and I have my plan, and I think I will do it again.
iRunFar: Do you want to share a little of your plan?
Kipngeno: No. You know, it depends about the how the rest will start, and we have to, if the rest is too fast, we have to stay with the captain and something like that.
iRunFar: Talk to me about the idea of, because this race Sunday, the 23k is the meeting of both the Mountain Running World Cup and the Golden Trail World Series, which makes it probably among the more competitive mountain running races in the circuits this year. You’ll see top athletes from both series. Have you thought about the competition, or are you thinking mostly about your own race, your own experience?
Kipngeno: For me, I don’t think about anybody.
iRunFar: Okay.
Kipngeno: Yeah. I have my own plan, and I used to say that I’m the best. And I know it is, it will be very competitive because Elhousine [Elazzaoui] is there. Philemon is there. Rémi [Bonnet] is there. Christian [Allen]. It’s like a big race. Yeah.
iRunFar: You and Philemon are quite good friends. You travel together. You race together. At the Mountain Running World Cup finals in Italy last October, you talked about working together a little bit during the race. Do you think you’ll be working together a little bit at these races?
Kipngeno: Yes. Yes. Of course. Because Philemon, we are training together. We stay in the same camp, and when we are running, we are running as a Run2gether team.
iRunFar: I would love to know a little bit more about your running camps in Kenya. You talked off camera about how during what we call winter, you don’t have winter in Kenya, but when we call winter, you go home to Kenya, you spend time with your family, and then you have training camps. I would love to learn a little bit about those camps and being at home with your family, what all that is like.
Kipngeno: In Kenya, we normally train at the Run2gether camp together for some months.
iRunFar: For some months?
Kipngeno: Yeah. Like, for example, I normally go for the term for one month.
iRunFar: Okay.
Kipngeno: I go home for two weeks, run for one month.
iRunFar: Okay. Just like that. Alternating back and forth?
Kipngeno: Yeah. Back and forth.
iRunFar: And at home with your family, you have one boy?
Kipngeno: Yeah.
iRunFar: And he is how old?
Kipngeno: He’s five years old.
iRunFar: Okay. And then also your wife?
Kipngeno: My wife is the national athlete.
iRunFar: Yeah. Okay.
Kipngeno: She’s running Diamond Leagues.
iRunFar: Oh, okay. A road runner.
Kipngeno: Yeah. Also a road runner.
iRunFar: And track.
Kipngeno: Yeah.
iRunFar: Yeah. Cool. So after Mountain Running World Cup finals last fall, you went to Golden Trail World Series. You became the double champion of both series for 2024, right?
Kipngeno: Mm hmm.
iRunFar: What’s it like coming back with that sort of target on your back, as we might say in English, of you’re the reigning champion for both of these series. Lots of runners are looking up to you for this weekend.
Kipngeno: Yeah. I’m very excited that I will try to defend my title here in Broken Arrow. And this year, I will not be competing in the World Cup.
iRunFar: You are not competing?
Kipngeno: Yeah.
iRunFar: You’re focusing on?
Kipngeno: On trail running.
iRunFar: On Golden Trail World Series?
Kipngeno: Yes.
iRunFar: Will you be representing Kenya at the Mountain Running World Championships?
Kipngeno: Yes. Yes. Of course.
iRunFar: Okay. So focusing on Golden Trail World Series.
Kipngeno: Yes.
iRunFar: And then preparing for the Mountain Running World Championships.
Kipngeno: Yeah. Exactly.
iRunFar: Okay. Cool. I would love to learn about Team Kenya at the Mountain Running World Championships. From what we understand here, Kenya is bringing a full team for mountain runners and trail runners this year. Do you know about that?
Kipngeno: Yes.
iRunFar: It’s very exciting.
Kipngeno: Yes. Very exciting because in Kenya, they have selected a very big group, like, 16 athletes.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Kipngeno: So they will be running. It will be a very tough competition, especially for us to join, to be part of the Kenya team.
iRunFar: For me, it’s very interesting because we’ve seen Team Kenya at the Mountain Running World Championships for years, right? But this, I think, will be the first time that a Kenyan team is coming for the trail part, for the 40k and the long trail.
Kipngeno: Yeah.
iRunFar: For me, that’s very exciting to see Kenyans in the longer trail races.
Kipngeno: Yeah. I heard that there will be a very big group, but I don’t have full information about that.
iRunFar: Okay. The rest of the world should watch out.
Kipngeno: Yeah. Exactly.
iRunFar: Well, best of luck to you this weekend at the Broken Arrow Skyrace Ascent and 23k. We look forward to watching you defend your titles.
Kipngeno: Okay. Thank you.
iRunFar: Asante sana. [Thank you very much in Swahili]
Kipngeno: Welcome.
