Back at the Training Camp

It's so wonderful to be back with the girls again. It's like being home. I was greeted by exuberant squeals, massive hugs, and genuine, ear-to-ear smiles. Since June, 4 girls have had to leave the camp to return tot heir villages due to a lack of progress. Zach isn't running a charity program, and when girls, after a few years show little improvement or lack of competitive desire to achieve, he has to make the difficult decision to send them home. Unfortunately, Zubeda, Farida, Phelomena, and Gertrude are no longer part of Team 100. But in the next two weeks, Neema and Faudhia, the youngest recruits to the team, and the very first scholarship students will be joining Zach and the girls in their new home in Mbulu.

The camp in Mbulu is much more comfortable than the conditions in Arusha, the biggest improvement being electricity! The girls are also less cramped and are afforded slightly more space, but with 10 girls still sharing a single room, that's not saying much. The camp is located at 1,850 meters in the Great Rift Valley, home to some of the best runners in the world from Ethiopia and Kenya, and soon, if all goes as planned, from Tanzania as well! The high altitude will give the girls the extra edge they need to eventually compete among the best.

Zakia unfortunately did not perform as well as she had hoped at the Olympics and didn't earn a spot in the 5000m finals. However, the stomach pains she suffered the day of her Olympic debut have subsided and she has been racing in Italy for the past few weeks, winning races and running times close to her personal best. She will run in a few more international invitationals this month before coming back to Tanzania to resume her training. Zaituni will be traveling to Europe at the end of October to compete in a handful of cross-country invitationals as well. The two 14-year old scholarship athletes, Neema and Faudhia have been invited by the International Athletic Federation to compete in a race in India next month too! These girls are becoming quite the international bunch. Good job girls!