The 2010 World Cross Country Under 20 silver medalist Clement Lang’at and his younger brother, Ravenna Marathon champion Elkana, hope their strong bond will translate into positive results at the Milan Marathon on April 3.
Clement said he will be motivated by the mini-sibling rivalry with his brother in Italy.
“Running with my brother will be enjoyable and motivating. Right now, we are training together. In today’s speed work, we did one mile, ten times. It will be nice traveling on the same flight with my brother, competing in the same race. We shall be motivating each other as we will be running,” Clement said.
He is hoping Italy will be kind to him once again after a delightful debut in the road races at Rome Marathon last year, where he timed 2:08:23 to finish first.
“After ten years on track and cross country, I saw it was good to move to marathon to see how it goes. When I won the Rome Marathon, I realised the transition was good. Going back to Italy, I hope and pray to God to give me good health, without injury and I want to run 2:05 or under,” he said.
Ahead of the World Championships and Commonwealth Games this year, Clement is optimistic he can effectively do duty for Kenya when called upon.
“If Athletics Kenya give me an opportunity, I will be one of the happiest men and I will fly that Kenyan flag higher. This will not be my first time representing Kenya. I won the Africa Cross Country title and World Cross Country silver in the junior category,” Clement said.
Like his elder brother, Elkana is also dreaming of the day he will don the Team Kenya singlet — particularly alongside Clement.
“ We will be more than comfortable to fly the flag. It shows we are dedicated runners. The race will be a family affair, with my elder brother... talking to each other and good support until we finish the race,” Elkana said.
After a disappointing 32nd place finish at the 2019 Eldoret City Marathon, he made his maiden international race at the Ravenna and came home with a win when he timed 2:10.33.
“Ravenna was my first marathon outside Kenya and due to the support of my brother and training mates, I was able to win. Now that we are going for a big marathon, it will be very entertaining and motivational," he said.
Elkanah added: "We will be running to boost our personal best and not necessarily a podium position. We are going to do our best, run our hearts out, and plan to compete in major marathons like London Marathon and the Olympics in the future.”
