Carol Nduta hangs a collection of over 100 medals and trophies in her house, a testament to her stellar achievement.
Over the years, the 65-year-old has had the distinctive honour of participating in marathons across the world emerging victorious on several occasions in the half and full marathon.
Famously known as ‘Shosh Carol’, she has raced both locally in Kenya and internationally, winning over 20 races so far in her category.
Her journey of a thousand steps started after she helped her grandchild participate in a race and it caught her interest. The veteran runner has never looked back since then noting that once you start doing it, you will never be the same.
“I would practice with my grandchild and eventually I got the gist of it. Of course, it was a toll order for me but I kept on pushing even when things got tough,” she says.
Citizen Digital caught up with her as she prepared for her next marathon in Tanzania. Her day begins at 6.00 am, where she trains with a group of people and tackles about twenty-five kilometers every morning.
“Once I am done with training, I farm a little bit then tender to my pigs and farms before heading to the market,” she said.
In 2016, she participated in a marathon in Dubai and emerged top in the veteran category, motivating her even further.
“Winning in Dubai motivated me further, this was my first win globally followed by a series of others. I was super excited, I exercised further and tackled tougher grounds to build endurance. Initially, people did not believe I was capable of what I have achieved today partly because of my age, some thought I was crazy,” she said.
In the beginning, it did not matter if Shosh emerged last, but today, she works on finishing the challenge ahead. She notes that keeping fit is paramount, even if you are doing it for leisure.
“I always love running it is something you could do by yourself because you have the power to go in any direction and control the pace, whether fast or slow,” she says.
Unlike most of her agemates, Shosh Carol does not allow her age to limit her. She urges people not to wait until they are old to keep fit.
“When you exercise, you will not struggle with ailments, I was loving every second of it,
I hope that my efforts will maybe inspire other people to go out and do something active.”
When she is not training, she sells sukuma wiki at the market to make ends meet, and relies on well-wishers and friends to facilitate her trips and accommodation abroad.
“Finances are my biggest challenge, sometimes I cannot afford proper training shoes and attires, I get help from friends who help me with the tickets and once I win, I refund back the money. I hope to get well-wishers who will help sponsor me as I put our country on the map globally,’ she said.
Shosh never misses her daily training unless she feeling unwell, she looks to inspire more people to join her in staying fit.
