Lornah Kiplagat may have acquired Dutch citizenship but her life remains deeply rooted in Kenya, more particularly in the Rift Valley highlands, where some of the best distance runners are born and bred.

As the founder of both the High Altitude Training Camp (HATC), which grooms female runners, and the Lornah Kiplagat Foundation, which provides an education for under-privileged girls in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, her contribution to nation-building is without doubt.

Born on 1 May 1974, Kiplagat earned her stripes running for Kenya. She now competes for the Netherlands, where she is also the ambassador for the Ministry of Development and the Jeugd Sport Foundation.

She was part of the team representing the Netherlands during the Athens, Beijing and London Olympics, and has set records in various events including the world record for the 5km, 10- mile and 20km road races.

She is the former world record holder of the half-marathon and European record holder of the 15km race. Her awards include the Millennium Shoe Award from the UN and the Abebe Bikila Awards as well as the AIMS World Athlete of the Year for two consecutive years. She made history by being the first woman to win the Falmouth and the Peachtree road races.

She has also ventured into fashion, with a self-titled clothing line – ‘Lornah’ – an African-themed sports brand for women.

In 2014, she launched the Lornah Kiplagat Sports Academy, a premium sporting facility and Kenya’s biggest sports school yet. The academy, said to have cost about Ksh1 billion, is located 3km from Iten town and sits on 50 acres.