Edith Masai

Edith Chewanjel Masai (born 4 April 1967) is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who specialised in cross country and track races, then road races in her late career. She represented Kenya at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Quotes I am in good shape and I hope to run well tomorrow. The race will be very tough with Lornah and Anikó. It will not be easy but I will do my best. It depends on who will be pushing the pace and also on the wind conditions. As quoted by [1] My motivation is to run good. If I’m still running good then I’m not going to retire. I hope I can run in the Olympics and World Championships, but it all depends on the bodywork, like a car. worldathletics.org “I am not even thinking of retirement. I will consider that when I reach 45 because I still believe I can still compete against the best,” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “God has given me a fruitful career and as long as I have the strength, I will never stop running because it’s in my blood,” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “I talk to them encouraging them to take up athletics and motivate those who have started. I do the same for boys too,” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “This is because when I began my career, I was the only female runner from Mt Elgon. Now I am happy that I have company.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “In Manchester, I kept talking to Chenonges and urging her not to allow anyone to come between her and myself. At times, I could slow down to allow her catch up.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “One day, I was training at Nyayo and heard an athlete named Moses Masai. I immediately put on a cap and joined the group,” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “The coaches did not realise I was not a boy and when I caught up with him, I urged him to go and bring the gold. Surprised to find a woman running step to step with him, he assured me he would do it.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “My school, Chepkoya Primary (in Kapsakwony) was 8km away from home. Over the weekend, I used to tend our cattle with a male friend where we would run after them in the forest.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “My grandmother would threaten to spit on a leaf so that I don’t grow if I failed to run to the shopping centre for things like salt. That put fear in me and I would rush like wind.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “I was attracted to the boys running on the school track marked and I decided to join them when I got to standard four but teachers refused to allow me.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “At the forest, my friend would start at one end and I on the other to see who would get to the middle point first. Many times the cows strayed to other people’s farms meaning that I would be in trouble,” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “They made me want to take running seriously and when things did not work with Mzee (husband), I started training seriously.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “I devoted so much energy but they tried to ask me to run in the 10,000m instead but I declined. Perhaps, if I had made my marathon debut much earlier, I would have made myself good money but I delayed that to run for Kenya.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “I bought this place to give my mother comfort and she takes care of it when I go for my duties.” Evergreen Masai still going strongcapitalfm(October 18, 2008) “I have seen it all, three world cross country golds, good performances in the Golden League and I think time is up for me,” Masai eyes Olympic medal before retirementdawn(November 4, 2007) “Cross country no longer excites me, hence my entry into the marathon,” Masai eyes Olympic medal before retirementdawn(November 4, 2007) I will focus my training on the Olympic Games in Beijing where I want to finish among the top three then call it quits the following year. Masai eyes Olympic medal before retirementdawn(November 4, 2007) “I have achieved all there is in athletics except an Olympics medal.” Masai eyes Olympic medal before retirementdawn(November 4, 2007) "This leg is still bad and it looks highly unlikely that I will travel to France to defend my title, let alone run on Saturday (in the regional cross country championships)," Masai’s injury not improving - title defence unlikelyworldathletics(February 24,2005) “One can't force something to happen the way one wants. This leg is not improving and I can't risk running like this. It may improve but at this rate I highly doubt it,” Masai’s injury not improving - title defence unlikelyworldathletics(February 24,2005) "This is the year to just win and celebrate, all in the name of our creator. I am already focusing on the Athens Olympics," Confident Masai goes for Golden Hat-Trick in Brusselsworldathletics(March15,2004) "I will attack from the start because this is a bad course. I won on this course, known as Cross Cup in 2002 but the conditions were so bad last year that I was 18th. I know it and that is why I have shelved my plans to run both 8km and 4km races," Confident Masai goes for Golden Hat-Trick in Brusselsworldathletics(March15,2004) "Like you can see, I am feeling no pressure at all despite being the title holder. God says blessed are those who believe in him. I am one of those already blessed," Confident Masai goes for Golden Hat-Trick in Brusselsworldathletics(March15,2004) "We've done enough speed work and with a closer supervision by the coaches, I am confident we'll do well," Confident Masai goes for Golden Hat-Trick in Brusselsworldathletics(March15,2004) “I ran for 45 minutes this morning, that will be enough for today,” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “I never really count the kilometres when I train. I normally train twice a day, although if I’m tired, once is enough. I run between 90 minutes and two hours in the morning, and about 45 minutes in the evening.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “It’s like here. Because of the conditions (hot and humid), the winning time will not be very fast. But if I win, I hope the Kenyan federation will take that into account when choosing the Olympic team. We had five women in Osaka, and I was the slowest. Nobody thought Edith could finish in the top ten. But I was eighth in just over 2:32, only two minutes behind top runners like Catherine and the Chinese woman (Zhou Chunxiu) who won London. And Rita (Jeptoo, another colleague) was only a few seconds in front of me in seventh place.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “Seeing how well those women were doing encouraged me to return,” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “and we had a boss, Elisabeth Olaba, who was also our coach. She started as a shot put coach, but took coaching courses for running.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “I met my manager, Dorothee Paulmann in 2000. She was already managing two Kenyan guys, Benjamin Itok and Richard Kimutai. I got permission to go and stay in Germany, in Trier for three months. I was sixth in my first race, a 6k in Kaiserslautern, and second in a 7k in Tubingen. But I was training with those two guys, and they made me run hard. I would run with them, and they said, ‘You cannot stop’. And after one and half months, I was able to stay with them.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “I won a 15k in Belgium, and I received the equivalent of 10,000 Deutsche marks. Then I went to France, and finished second in a 10k to Isabella Ochichi (another top Kenyan). She did 32:27 and me, 32:59. That was the first really good time. I remember.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “I planted maize and wheat, and I have seven cows, and my mother has ten sheep. But she takes care of it all. I stay and train at Ngong (near Nairobi), and my son (now 17) is at boarding school. When there is holiday, he comes to see me, or I go back to Kitale.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “It was sooo cold, the race was supposed to be in Dublin, but there was ‘foot and mouth’ disease in Ireland, so it was moved to Ostende. I was freezing, but I finished third behind (Gete) Wami and (Paula) Radcliffe. I was to meet those women many times in the future.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “I treated it like a long training run, and it worked. I was leading again in 2006, up to 39k, then my legs fell off.” She finished fifth that time. But she will concentrate on the Marathon for the rest of her career. “Probably two years, no more. I’d like to go to the Olympics, and then I’ll see at the end of 2008, but I’d like to compete through to 2009.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “When I ran this morning, it was very humid. So I don’t like to say. We’ll see.” At 40, Masai still going strongworldathletics(December 01, 2007) “Champions must be talked about," A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masaiworldathletics(March 18, 2007) "They are viewed as super human beings, which is very unfair. We are just normal people like any other.” A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masaiworldathletics(March 18, 2007) "After the Prisons championships, I was preparing for the trials when I stepped on a stone while training and dislocated my ankle. I never recovered and I made a deliberate decision not to try and force things against God’s wish. I then decided to train for marathon as I was going to make a debut that same year in Germany.” A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masaiworldathletics(March 18, 2007) “One can’t force something against God’s plans," A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masaiworldathletics(March 18, 2007) Whatever God has planned for an individual will always come to fruition, but if it is not meant for you, it can’t work." A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masaiworldathletics(March 18, 2007) If he was meant to be mine by God’s arrangement, we would still be together. A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masaiworldathletics(March 18, 2007) “But God has a reason for everything. He knows the reasons why the marriage could not work, and why I ended up being a successful athlete. God opened the ways for me at are 32. Anything which happened before that was not meant for me. I appreciate whatever I get. If I win I celebrate, if I lose, I appreciate my performance.” A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masaiworldathletics(March 18, 2007) “I approached it like any other normal long run. When I reached the 41km mark, I found myself alone and just went,” A Kenyan XC legend - Edith Masaiworldathletics(March 18, 2007) "I am still strong on the track and I will not let go until the Beijing Olympics," Masai steals the show - Kenyan Champs, Day Twoworldathletics(June 30, 2006) "I want to qualify for a place in the Kenyan team for the African Championships, then fight for a place in the African team for the World Cup.” Masai steals the show - Kenyan Champs, Day Twoworldathletics(June 30, 2006) “But it was hard,” Ageless Masai salvages some Kenyan pride - Women's Short Course raceworldathletics(March 21, 2004) “It was the same in Ostend.” Ageless Masai salvages some Kenyan pride - Women's Short Course raceworldathletics(March 21, 2004) "It's not getting any easier as I get older" Ageless Masai salvages some Kenyan pride - Women's Short Course raceworldathletics(March 21, 2004) “I tried to shake off the Ethiopians several times but didn’t succeed,” Ageless Masai salvages some Kenyan pride - Women's Short Course raceworldathletics(March 21, 2004) With 300m to go, I thought I had a chance to beat them in a sprint and I broke away. Ageless Masai salvages some Kenyan pride - Women's Short Course raceworldathletics(March 21, 2004) “It is not getting any easier as I get older, after all, I am old enough to be the mother to some of the competitors in the race today, but at least I seem to be improving still,” Ageless Masai salvages some Kenyan pride - Women's Short Course raceworldathletics(March 21, 2004) External links worldathletics.org Category:Runners Category:Women in sports Category:Sportspeople from Kenya Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:Women from Kenya