Explained: What is ‘World Athletics Heritage Plaque’ unveiled at Iten

The World Athletics Heritage Plaque is a location-based recognition which highlights, celebrates and links together iconic and historic athletics competitions, careers, performances, cities, venues, landmarks and culture around the world.
It is awarded for an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track and field athletics and of out-of-stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking.
The award was introduced in 2018  by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
Some of the notable recipients of this award include The Hannut cross country meeting- plague named ‘Cross Cup de Hannut’, Lima Half Marathon, Chicago Marathon, London Marathon, The Great North Run among others.
In 19 May 2019, Kenya’s Iten Town was also honored for its contribution to the athletics history. Dubbed the ‘Home of Champions’, patched some 2,400m above sea level and home to approximately 42,000 people, the Elgeyo Marakwet County headquarters was warded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque in the category of ‘Landmark’.
“In 2019 we were delighted to receive a letter from World Athletics announcing that Iten would be honored,” said Athletics Kenya President and World Athletics Vice-President Jack Tuwei.
“It was an incredible milestone for Iten, and I personally called former Governor Tolgos to congratulate him on this historic achievement.”
Five years after Iten was awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque, the honor finally found its permanent home on 11 February in an arboretum overlooking the famous Kerio Valley.
The Elgeyo Marakwet County Government, unveiled the plaque at its scenic new location with Governor Wesley Rotich leading the ceremony together with AK President Tuwei, Olympic legend and Kenya’s Olympic Committee President Paul Tergat among other legends.
“The unveiling of the World Athletics Heritage plaque affirms Iten as one of the best destinations for athletes to train,” the Governor said at the colorful ceremony.
“Elgeyo Marakwet County is without an iota of doubt an athletics powerhouse, producing world beaters in both track and road races. Professional athletes from across the world throng Iten town each year to train with athletics crème de la crème in the high-altitude area.”
During the ceremony, Tergat, twice Olympic 10,000m silver medalist and former world marathon record holder, celebrated Iten for its massive contribution to the development of sport and urged athletes to join in the fight against doping in sport.
“Iten is now known worldwide for its contribution to athletics,” said Tergat.
“The doping menace and the infiltration of quacks posing as coaches are serious threats to the integrity of our sport. We must take decisive steps to remove these harmful influences.”
Kenya-born Dutchwoman Lornah Kiplagat, a multiple world cross country and half marathon champion, alongside 2007 world 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei were also in attendance in the latest unveiling of the Iten Plaque.
Global champions Ezekiel Kemboi, Moses Kiptanui, Mary Keitany and Irene Cheptai were among the VIP guests in attendance at the initial ceremony in 2019.
Currently, several world beaters have pitched early season camp in Iten for distance running training, among them the Dutch pair of Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan and New York Marathon champion Abdi Nageeye. Hassan is preparing for April’s London Marathon while Nageeye is yet to announce his spring plans.
Kiplagat’s High Altitude Training Centre in Iten was also host to Tuesday’s preliminary track and field trials for the Refugee Olympic Team organised under the Refugee Athlete Support Programme (2025-2028). The initiative aims to identify and support talented refugee athletes on their journey to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Iten is marked with lush vegetation and striped with Kenya’s iconic red clay roads. Running champions are made here, on the edge of the Rift Valley.
Specifically, the region centers around Eldoret, 20 miles from Iten, which has become the epicenter of long-distance running in Kenya since the country began to rise to prominence on the world stage in the 1960s. Most runners come to Iten to elevate their running in training camps with a desire to compete in the world’s most competitive and prestigious races thousands of miles away.
Between June and September each year, athletes head to train in Iten due to its extremely cool and favorable climate. Its unique temperature level contributes a lot to an athlete’s training and success.
Just like other higher altitude areas, Iten’s air is “thinner” meaning there are fewer oxygen molecules per volume of air. Every breath taken at a high altitude delivers less of what working muscles require.
Iten’s altitude is approximately 8,000 feet above sea level, making it very favorable for extensive training, one of the most perfect locations in the world for any athlete.
The coldest months are between June and July where the temperatures fall between 9 degrees Celsius and 12 degrees Celsius.
According to Peter Mathu, Kenya’s head coach for the 2011 World Championships, athletes who train in high altitude areas tend to perform better because they have built endurance.
Some of the notable figures who have train or still train at Iten features Wilson Kipsang (former world marathon record holder), Brigid Kosgei (Chicago Marathon winner), Eliud Kipchoge (marathon great and former world record holder), United Kingdom’s Mo Farah (multiple Olympic gold medalist), Ethiopians Genzebe Dibaba, Tsegaye Mehonnen and Kenenisa Bekele among other athletes who have ruled the world of athletics.
There are various training camps in Iten with the most common being the High Altitude Training Centre established in 1999 by former World Champion Lornah Kiplagat and it has well-furnished rooms, a communal dining room, and modern training equipment.