Kenya’s “Running CEO” Joe Sang has now set his sights on clocking a sub three-hour marathon at next month’s BMW Berlin Marathon where he will run for the Joe Sang Foundation that seeks to raise money for the education of needy children countrywide.
The Kenya Pipeline Company Managing Director was on Friday morning joined by Cabinet Secretaries John Mbadi (Treasury) and Migos Ogamba (Education) alongside Petroleum Principal Secretary Mohamed Liban in launching the Joe Sang Foundation that aims to raise Sh200 million to help needy children realise their educational dreams.
The 50-year-old who hails from tea growing Kericho County, where many of Kenya’s athletics legends hail from, will use the September 21 BMW Berlin Marathon as the focal point of this year’s fundraising campaign.
The Foundation is targeting to raise half of the revenue (Sh100 million) before Sang takes to the streets of Berlin.
Sang first dabbled into road running at the Chicago Marathon last year in October, clocking three hours and seven minutes and with cheers ringing from Kenyan legends who have competed and conquered the Berlin course, Sang is now targeting to stop the clock in less than three hours in the German political capital.
Sang – also an avid golfer – recently clocked a personal best one hour, 31 minutes and 04 seconds at the Nairobi City Marathon, running alongside training partner John Terer, Managing Director and proprietor of motor sales company, Car City. Terer will also accompany Sang to run in the Berlin Marathon.
German Ambassador to Kenya Sebastian Groth joined a host of dignitaries in lauding the initiative and pledged to donate sports equipment to the Kapmaso Primary School and Kapmaso Secondary School in Kericho County where the initial beneficiaries of the Joe Sang Foundation charity are schooling.
“Kenya and Germany have enjoyed a great relationship first since most Kenyans, at least in more advanced ages, identify with the ‘Football made in Germany’ programme of the 1980s. It warms my heart to hear them talk about German football and give facts which even I don’t know about,” Ambassador Groth joked about Kenya-Germany sporting links.
“Kenyan athletes have made Berlin their base for breaking the world marathon record and I’m confident that Sang will equally break his personal record there,” Ambassador Groth added.
Former world marathon record holder Patrick Makau, who represented immediate former National Olympic Committee of Kenya President Paul Tergat, and Paralympian Henry Wanyoike willed Sang to go forth and conquer Berlin.
“The reason why most Kenyan athletes perform well in Berlin is because of altitude which near sea level and the streets are well shielded from strong winds by the tall buildings lining up the streets. It is the perfect place for you to break your record,” Makau, who set the world record at two hours, three minutes and 38 seconds at the 2011 Berlin Marathon, remarked.
He represented another former world marathon record holder, Tergat, the first man to run a sub 2:05 marathon when he clocked 2:04:55 at the 2003 Berlin Marathon.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ogamba, whose docket is a direct beneficiary of the Joe Sang Foundation, expressed his delight at the charitable initiative having been a beneficiary of such acts of kindness while growing up.
“I really identify with this initiative firstly because a head the educational sector that is suffering from capitation problems and also because I’m a product of such initiatives. My parents only paid fees in the first term of school before well-wishers stepped in to help. There we should all show up and aid these initiatives for they go a long way in changing lives,” Ogamba remarked
His counterpart, Treasury CS John Mbadi, equally lauded Sang for giving back to society and promised to go back to his former school to give back, saying he was a beneficiary of charity in high school.
“Joe, you are a wonderful man. It is very rare to turn passion into something big. Those of us who know you learn from you the power of resilience. You have started a noble cause,” CS Mbadi said.
“The person who paid my school fees, my elder brother, actually worked in tea farms, picking tea to make me reach where I am today and so when I see such reminders, it demonstrates how far people come,” the CS said in reference to the story of poor families that benefitted from the Joe Sang Foundation charity.
The CS then offered his own story: “I’m a Seventh Day Adventist today because I remember when I couldn’t pay my Form Four school fees, my father went to a pastor of the Seventh Day Adventist Church who gave him Sh300, and I needed Sh285… the Sh15 balance was my fare to school and that was the only time I boarded a matatu because I used to walk 54 kilometres to school. That is how I became Seventh Day Adventist as it touched me as I saw a human heart in the Pastor.”
Sang’s son, Tyler Belyon Sang, warmed hearts with a narration of how crazy he thought of his father’s dream of raising funds through running a marathon.
“Running a marathon is like running from Nairobi to Thika. That’s crazy, I thought there were easier ways do that when my father first shared his idea,” an eloquent Tyler said
The Joe Sang Foundation has partnered with several corporations to help realise dreams of underprivileged children in Kenya.
Over Sh15 million was given and pledged at Friday’s launch to add onto the Sh11 million that the foundation had already raised, leaving Sang firmly on course to raise the Sh100 million he is targeting to achieve ahead of his trip to Berlin.
Among the corporates and individuals that boosted the Joe Sang Foundation kitty included Stanbic Bank (Sh1 million), Equity Bank Group CEO James Mwangi (Sh1 million), Humphrey Kariuki Foundation (Sh1 million), Deepak Gadhavi (Sh1 million), Valerie Limo/ Stabex International (Sh500,000), Nick Ruto (Sh500,000), Abdikadir Dahir (Sh500,000), Nelson Koech (Sh300,000), Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang (Sh200,000), Sharon Mutua (Sh200,000), George and Maryanne Karanja (Sh200,000), Lydia Kamuya and Family (Sh500,000).
Others were Ketibo Group (Sh100,000), Mathew Koech (Sh500,000), Kiprono Kittony (Sh100,000), Abraham Mutai (Sh200,000), Mike Koech (Sh100,000), National Employment Authority Chairman Vincent Kigen (Sh100,000), Joyce Emanikor (Sh100,000), James Githinji (Sh50,000), Alvin and Friends (Sh500,000), Ian Kibet (Sh500,000) and Chiko Lawi (Sh20,000).
Meanwhile, accounting firm Ibrahimjee and Mutai Advisory LLP gave Sh100,000 down payment and pledged one percent of their revenue this financial year while Mirriam and Family (Sh1 million).
ENDS…//