Over the summer, SCOTT invited the Braveheart Runners team to Switzerland to race on road and trail. First, two athletes raced in May in Lausanne and Geneva. Then, in August, three Braveheart Runners were challenged to run different races at SCOTT’s sponsored trail race Matterhorn Ultraks in Zermatt.
Preparation for their first trip to Europe was not as smooth as everyone thought it would be due to denied visas and so only Sara Jerop and Benard “Chebasa” Koech (Team Captain) were able to board the plane. They were invited to visit SCOTT’s HQ to meet the team and talk to product management. The next weekend they raced in road races in Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland.
Later, in August 2022, at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn, SCOTT welcomed three Braveheart Runner athletes to the world of trail running. This time, all visas were granted and Sarah Jerop, Daisy Chepkosgei and Enock Kipkemboi were able to race in the Swiss mountains. Finding themselves on the start line of one of the most epic trail races in the Alps, the Matterhorn Ultraks, the whole team rose to the challenge with exceptional results.
Peter Cable, Running Division Manager at SCOTT Sports, said, “What working with Braveheart Runners means to SCOTT running is the ability to have that direct link and feedback from athletes running at the front of the field. Their feedback is absolutely paramount to help us develop the lightest, fastest and most efficient running shoes for both trail and road.”
The Braveheart Runners Foundation provides scholarships of one year to talented young runners, which gives them access to coaching, physiotherapy, the possibility to race in Europe as well as financial support. “The main concept is to improve the livelihoods of the African runners,” said Alistair Davidson, Founder and Chairman of Braveheart Runners Foundation. The fixed term contract enables the foundation to extend the support to new talented runners every season. This year the Braveheart Runners team consists of four men and five women.
If you missed episode 1, you can catch up here. Filmed in Iten, Kenya, Episode 1 documented the first meeting between SCOTT and the athletes and team behind the Braveheart Runners Foundation, and the significance of this new partnership.
