Older runners defy age in Kenya’s central highlands
Key takeaways
- Members of a self-funded athletics club in Meru are proving that competition does not end with age.
- The red-earthed roads of Meru County, in Kenya’s central highlands, roughly 314 kilometres from Nairobi, have become something close to a second home since a friend connected her to a local athletics group in 2017.
- “At first, people laughed at me, saying what I was doing was foolish,” Wanjiru says. “Since I began exercising and drinking water, my blood pressure is now normal, and I no longer get muscle spasms.”
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Members of a self-funded athletics club in Meru are proving that competition does not end with age.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Members of the Meru chapter of Masters Athletics Kenya train together as part of a national network of athletes aged between 60 and 100, challenging expectations of age and physical activity in Kenya’s central highlands [Benjamin Muriuki/Al Jazeera]By Benjamin Muriuki Published On 13 Jun 202613 Jun 2026Meru County, Kenya – Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, Wanjiru Kamau heads out from her home in Mikumbune village in South Imenti Constituency to run five kilometres (3.2 miles).
The red-earthed roads of Meru County, in Kenya’s central highlands, roughly 314 kilometres from Nairobi, have become something close to a second home since a friend connected her to a local athletics group in 2017.