{"id":145798,"date":"2026-07-05T12:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/masika-larot-crowned-elite-champions-at-kaptagat-cycling-challenge\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T12:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T12:02:52","slug":"masika-larot-crowned-elite-champions-at-kaptagat-cycling-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/masika-larot-crowned-elite-champions-at-kaptagat-cycling-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Masika, Larot crowned elite champions at Kaptagat Cycling Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kendra Masika and Lawrence Larot were crowned the elite champions of the fourth edition of the Kaptagat Cycling Challenge on Saturday after powering to victory in the gruelling 80-kilometre race through the Kaptagat Forest ecosystem in Elgeyo Marakwet County.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The two cyclists each walked away with KSh200,000 after emerging victorious in the elite women\u2019s and men\u2019s categories of the event, which blends competitive cycling with environmental conservation.<\/p>\n

The challenge, organised under the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme (Kaptagat-ICP) and patronised by National Treasury Principal Secretary Dr. Chris Kiptoo, was officially flagged off by Principal Secretary for Mining Harry Kimutai.<\/p>\n

The race attracted cyclists from across the country alongside conservation champions and local communities.<\/p>\n

Reacting to her victory, Masika said the win had strengthened her resolve to pursue even greater success in the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just beginning, and I am not giving up anytime soon. This win motivates me a lot, and I will keep fighting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Beyond the battle for honours, this year\u2019s challenge marked a significant milestone as the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme celebrated 10 years of restoring the Kaptagat Forest ecosystem through a community-led conservation model.<\/p>\n

The men\u2019s elite category winner, Larot, while appreciating the forest ecosystem, said that winning the Kaptagat Cycling Challenge fills him with joy, noting it is like his second home.<\/p>\n

\u201cKaptagat is like home to me, because I have been racing here and I have been studying here in Kaptagat. So, I am really feeling happy to win here today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking during the event, Dr. Kiptoo said the programme had demonstrated that environmental conservation and community development can go hand in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can look back 10 years and see a lot of progress. We have made tremendous progress in restoring the forest and improving livelihoods,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He challenged leaders from across the country to visit Kaptagat and replicate the initiative, noting that empowering communities remains the most sustainable way to restore Kenya\u2019s forests and protect critical water towers.<\/p>\n

Forestry Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi echoed the call, urging stakeholders to adopt the Kaptagat model in other parts of the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are calling on many more people to come, learn what is happening here and start similar initiatives in their respective areas. By involving communities, we can restore our forests, grow the 15 billion trees and contribute to the country\u2019s broader environmental agenda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Kaptagat Cycling Challenge has grown into one of Kenya\u2019s flagship cycling events, using sport to champion forest restoration, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods.<\/p>\n

Through the annual race, organisers continue to advance the national 15 Billion Trees Campaign while positioning Kaptagat as both a premier high-altitude cycling destination and a national model for community-led conservation.<\/p>\n

The post Masika, Larot crowned elite champions at Kaptagat Cycling Challenge<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kendra Masika and Lawrence Larot were crowned the elite champions of the fourth edition of the Kaptagat Cycling Challenge on Saturday after powering to victory in the gruelling 80-kilometre race through the Kaptagat Forest ecosystem in Elgeyo Marakwet County. The two cyclists each walked away with KSh200,000 after emerging victorious in the elite women\u2019s and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145798"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145798\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}