Kipchoge "Kip" Keino to Attend Santa Fe Thunder Half Marathon as Guest of Honor

Legendary Olympic Champion will join in race weekend festivities, highlight nonprofit event's mission

SANTA FE, N.M., June 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Santa Fe Thunder Half Marathon, which will hold its seventh annual event on Sept. 17, announced today that Kipchoge "Kip" Keino, the Father of Kenyan distance running, will travel from Kenya to participate in race weekend activities. "The Race Different" is a destination running event, providing participants with the opportunity to run down the Old Taos Highway from Santa Fe through three Pueblos, finishing at the magnificent Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino in the Pueblo of Pojoaque. Runners can register at a discounted rate from now until June 15 and make plans to meet the legendary runner at www.santafethunder.com.

Keino competed in three Olympic Games, winning gold medals in 1968 and 1972. In addition to blazing a trail for his countrymen and women to achieve worldwide recognition in distance running, Keino founded the Baraka Farm School and orphanage that have provided paths forward for Kenyan youth for more than two decades. Kip was honored as 1987 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine and served as President of the Kenyan Olympic Committee for eighteen years.

Keino's participation also shines a light on the charitable efforts of Global Running Culture. In 2010, fellow Kenyan Olympian and Pojoaque Pueblo resident Abraham Kosgei co-founded the all volunteer non-profit organization with the mission of bettering the lives of youth through the powers of sport and education in three communities where running is a vital part of the indigenous culture: northern New Mexico, his village of Matunget, Kenya and Copper Canyon, Mexico. Global Running Culture established Santa Fe Thunder to generate funding for its projects and to provide an opportunity for runners to enjoy Santa Fe's beauty, culture, history and food while challenging themselves on a high altitude, 1,000-foot net downhill point-to-point course.

The course begins in the heart of Santa Fe, climbing for two miles and then gradually descending into the red rock filled Rio Grande Valley framed by the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountain ranges, past the world famous Santa Fe Opera, Tesuque Village Market and Camel Rock, and through the Tesuque and Nambe Pueblos, finishing at Buffalo Thunder Resort in the Pueblo of Pojoaque. The Race Different features African drummers at the start and finish lines, live music along the course and participation by champion Tarahumara ultra marathoners.

The Lightning 5K and 1 mile fitness walk take place on a beautiful off-road course at Buffalo Thunder, starting at the same time as the Half Marathon proving the opportunity for all family members to participate and for those doing a shorter event to watch the half marathoners finish. The post-race party in Buffalo Thunder's Turquoise Trail Bar and Grille will feature live world beat music, a celebration of Keino's career and humanitarian efforts, a presentation of over 150 age group medals handmade by Jemez Pueblo artists, breakfast burritos and beverages. Buffalo Thunder Resort is the Official Race Hotel and offers participant discounts available by calling (505) 455-5555 and using the code THNDR.

For more information about Global Running Culture, visit www.globalrunningculture.org. For more information on the Santa Fe Thunder Half Marathon, visit www.santafethunder.com. For the latest updates, follow the race on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.