In the late summer of 2007, a young man from Eldoret,
Kenya arrived at VMI on a track and field scholarship. Just a handful of months
later, this man had not only survived the infamous VMI Ratline, but had become
the fastest freshman in America at his trademark distance, the 800-meters. His
freshman season had, in many ways, defied superlatives in a way few other VMI
campaigns ever had. This young man's name is Felix Kitur, and this is his tale.
Kitur grew up in Eldoret, currently listed as the
fifth-largest city in Kenya, and quickly began taking advantage of two benefits
he was born with: His location and his lineage. Eldoret is home to the IAAF's
(International Association of Athletic Federations) High Altitude Training
Center, and according to Kitur, the altitude and hills provide an excellent
environment for training.
“Many of the runners in Kenya come from Eldoret,” said
Kitur. “That is true because of the altitude, hills and the facilities in the
area.”
The young runner began taking advantage of this in
elementary school, when he started running for recreational reasons. He did not
take his running seriously, however, until high school, when the second of his
two benefits began to kick in.
“My father was a three-time Olympian, and even now, he is
a coach in Kenya. When I started high school, he provided me with training
programs, encouragement and helped me become more serious about my running. He
was, absolutely, my major running influence.”
This instruction from David Kitur helped Kitur claim a
pair of high school records, as well as a berth in the 2006 Kenyan Jr. National
Trials 400-meter event. By that time, Kitur had already received a visit from a
family friend.
“The trend of Kenyans coming to VMI started when a coach
at another school became friends with Coach Bozeman,” offered Kitur. “This
coach was a native of Kenya, and he and Coach Bozeman had a plan in place. Well, this coach
happened to be a friend of my dad's, and my dad mentioned my pending high
school graduation. He called Coach Bozeman, we all talked, and I ended up
here.”
Kitur boarded a plane bound for the small town of Lexington,
Va., with a population nearly 185,000 fewer people than Eldoret. He arrived in mid-August
of 2007 and, along with other incoming recruits, faced the Ratline.
“Things were harder last year, with the Ratline and all, as
it was harder to do the type of training I can. The expectations aren't too bad
now though, and I really enjoy things here,” stated Kitur.
With the Ratline, and the expected acclimation period,
Kitur could have started off slowly. However, the then-freshman got off to a
blazing start, as he was VMI's top finisher in all three cross country events
in which he took part. Strangely, Kitur had never competed in a cross country
event before arriving at VMI, but the hilly regions and high altitudes of his
hometown no doubt paid dividends.
With those finishes in his rearview mirror, it was time
for the 2007-08 indoor track season.
“I came into VMI knowing my abilities, and how I could
train. I felt like I could eventually in the 1:47 range in the 800 during my
first season here, but obviously, I did even better than that,” said Kitur.
The standout finished fourth in his collegiate opener, but
he jumped on the competition the next week at the Kent State Gala in Kent, Ohio.
Kitur won the event, posting a time of 1:53.16, and his magical run truly
began. After taking the Christmas break off, he came back at the Great Dane
Classic, held at the legendary Armory track in New York, and was just edged out
for the win at the line.
He then returned to action Feb. 23 at the Virginia Tech
Invitational, and sped to a 1:50.63 time in the 800-meter finals. That time was
good for second place, but was a new VMI record, breaking a 24-year old mark
previously set in 1984. The time was just .13 off the NCAA provisional
qualifying time, and was a new Big South Conference record by nearly six-tenths
of a second.
“It always feels good to hear someone say that you broke
a record,” said Kitur with his trademark huge smile. “That first record, the
one set at Virginia Tech, was very special.”
The VMI standout, by now beginning to garner more and
more attention, came to Clemson, S.C. the next week and despite slower times
(1:53.54 in the preliminaries, 1:55.23 in the finals), won the Big South
Conference championship, his first of two such titles during the track and
field campaign. The Keydets' next date was the IC4A's, held in Boston, and as
was proving to be a habit, Kitur was up to the task.
Kitur crossed the line with a 1:49.43 time in the
preliminaries, which was good enough to break his Big South and VMI record by
more than a second. It earned him a place in the event finals, where he finished
fifth.
After a few weeks to get his outdoor legs under him, he
prevailed in the 800-meters at the Duke Invitational, winning by nearly a
half-second. He then went on to win at the University of Virginia the next
weekend, cruising to victory by two full seconds, and heading into the Big
South Championships on a high note.
The VMI runner qualified third, but went on to win his
second Big South title and in the process, earn a bid to the NCAA East
Regional, to be held in Tallahassee, Fla., in late May. From there, Kitur went
on to compete in relays at the Penn Relays, and to build to the IC4A's and NCAA
Regionals. The IC4A's were held in Princeton, N.J., and the native Kenyan edged
closer to the conference record, posting a 1:49.79 in the event finals, losing
out on the title by just .01.
Two weeks later, VMI cross country coach Paul Spangler
and Kitur flew to the Sunshine State for the NCAA Regional meet. Upon beginning
his workouts, the 800-meter specialist knew something unusual was possible.
“I felt great in workouts,” stated Kitur. “I knew I could
do something special, but I still had to go out and execute.”
And execute he did. Not only did the freshman make the
finals, powering away from the field in the final 100-meters of his heat to set
another Big South record, but he put on a performance to remember in the
finals. He finished second, just behind a runner from Florida, but his time of 1:46.75
was not only a VMI record and a Big South record, but it would also prove to be
the third-fastest collegiate time during the NCAA regular season. That punched
his ticket to nationals, held in Des Moines, Iowa, in early June.
“I really enjoyed the experience at nationals,” stated
Kitur. “You get to fly out at the NCAA's expense, and they treat you very
well.”
In his heat, Kitur used a late kick to ensure he would
advance to the semi-finals, finishing in third place in his heat. However, in
the finals, that kick would desert him. In a highly competitive race, which
included 2008 Olympian Andrew Wheating, the VMI freshman was unable to make a
late move. That would relegate him to a sixth-place finish, a ninth-place
finish overall (missing All-American honors by just over two-tenths of a
second), and would end his magical season. Despite that, Kitur spoke of the
memory with a smile.
“It was cool to run at that level. Wheating and I ran
very close together for some of that race.”
Despite being the first VMI representative at NCAA Nationals
since 2005, Kitur does not seem to feel pressure. He speaks with confidence as
he relates his thoughts on the upcoming season.
“I would really like to lower my records, especially in
the indoor season, where I think I can do much better,” said Kitur when asked
about his 2009 goals. “I've trained better, have more experience and will not
have to take part in the Ratline.”
“Felix has been working with the VMI strength and
conditioning coach during the off-season to increase his muscular endurance,”
stated Coach Spangler. “I believe that he has the talent to make it the
Olympics and possibly win a medal.”
Indeed, Kitur says that running in the Olympics is his
goal, as his father David and uncle Samson did (Samson Kitur won a 400-meter bronze medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics).
“One day, I'd like
to run in the Olympics like my dad and uncle. Perhaps I could even do that in
2012 at the London Games.”
If Kitur's journey does one day take him to the
Olympics, it will be quite the round-trip for the young man who arrived at VMI
that warm summer day. It will have been a journey truly superlative in its
size, going from the mountains of Eldoret, Kenya, to the VMI Ratline of
Lexington, Virginia, to the shadow of the Olympic Flame.
__________
Written by Brad Salois
Asst. Media Relations Director
