Chosen by Lansing: Mary Wacera

What is Kenya famous for? Well, besides gorgeous wildlife, the world's largest tropical lake and being considered the cradle of mankind, that is. Any guesses? Runners, of course. Kenya has produced a staggering percentage of the world's most successful long-distance runners, and Mary Wacera is no exception. The only difference is, she's coming to Lansing.

A Home Run

The reigning Kenyan National 5000-Meter Champion has signed a contract to compete for Lansing Sports Management in 2014. She will be splitting her training time between Lansing and Nyahururu, Kenya. But the Capital region will be her home base while she competes in races in and around the U.S. She has just recently run the World's Best 10k in Puerto Rico in which she did incredibly well, and will be running the Shamrockin' Run 8k in New Orleans in March. But between races, she trains. And the training of professional runners is not for the faint of heart.

While in Lansing, she is at MSU's Jenison Fieldhouse indoor track by six am for a long early morning run. At ten am she does a speed walk, and then another run in the midafternoon. Her diet and hydration are carefully monitored throughout. In addition to the running, her training includes a variety of intensive exercises that focus on building strength and balance, both of which are critical to any successful professional runner according to Owen Anderson, Ph D.

Running Wild

Owen is the race director of the Lansing Marathon, CEO of Lansing Moves The World and a world renowned coach who has published several books on the subject of running. He is also the President of Lansing Sports Management, and Mary's coach and manager here in Lansing. Throughout this year he will be tasked with scheduling her races, negotiating sponsorship and coaching her through her training.

Mary was introduced to Owen in Kenya while he was there researching the training techniques of the top Kenyan runners. It was a match made in heaven. On the one hand, he has extensive knowledge of Kenyan training methods, speaks fluent KiSwahili and travels to Kenya with regularity for both the elite runners he represents there, and for his charitable work in the Tana Delta with children traumatized by violence. While on the other hand, she has friends who are represented and trained by Owen, all of whom speak very highly of him, and she was looking for a good manager outside of Kenya who could help advance her career.

Run For Your Life

Mary has competed all over the world, running in the U.S., France, China and even the Czech Republic, but interestingly enough, it was never her childhood dream to be a runner . "I never thought I would be a professional athlete." she laughs, "I wanted to be a lawyer! But I ran in school sports and my coach told me I was good at it. He said: You can run, you should do it! So I tried it and it turns out I was good at it. I love to run!"

But besides being very good at it, there are other reasons to love professional running. "In Kenya women do not have the same freedoms as men." Mary explains, "Running sets me free. It gives me independence. As a professional athlete, I can take care of myself."

In The Long Run

While Mary has run professionally for eight years now, this is only her second year in road racing. She took home a bronze medal in the World Junior Championships in Beijing in 2006, and she hasn't stopped since. Her speciality is currently 10ks and half marathons, although she hopes to run full marathons in the future. But for now, her goal is to complete a half marathon in 66 minutes. "Other people have done it, so it can be done." she says. "At this point, I can only get better!"

So, besides running, what does she hope to do while in Lansing? "Get to know the city," she says, "And maybe make some new friends as well!" Although how she plans to fit that into her crazy schedule, she isn't certain. While staying in the Capital, Mary will be doing a considerable amount of volunteer work.

She plans to help out with Lansing Moves The World's ACE program, a free afterschool curriculum that promotes team work, movement skills and overall fitness to children in Lansing Schools. In addition, she will assist in the training of track-and-field athletes at Lansing Christian School, where Owen is the running coach.

During the times when she returns to Kenya she will be training at Owen's running camp in Nyahururu with the other elite Kenyan runners he represents. Together they form 'Team B'alam', which is named after the Mayan symbol for Courage. What separates the B'alam Team from any other group of professional athletes is that they have committed to helping children through volunteer work in their communities. "This is what makes Mary perfect for Team B'alam," says Owen, "She is one of those very special athletes - a potential world champion who cares very deeply about kids."

Run In The Sun

This has been a hard winter, even for those hardy souls who have lived here all their lives, but for Mary it was a shock -- she had never experienced cold like this before. "In Kenya I train outside, but right now it's so cold here!" she laughs. But Lansing has a wide variety of beautiful and interesting places to run, and as the weather warms up Mary hopes to get out and experience the city, run it's trails, and be a part of it's growing running community. So keep your eyes peeled while you're out and about this summer, Lansing runners, you may just be sharing the road with a champion.

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Sarah Hillman is a freelance writer for Capital Gains.

Photos © Dave Trumpie
 
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.