World champion runner competing at Blue Nose Marathon event in Halifax

Watch Above: Among the competitors at the Blue Nose Marathon will be two runners from Kenya, one a world champion in marathon. Ray Bradshaw has more.

HALIFAX – Young runners in Halifax got a chance to meet a world champion marathon runner from Kenya who will be competing locally this weekend.

Abel Kirui of Kenya is a two-time world champion and silver medalist at the 2012 London Olympics. His country is known as the mecca for running and has produced several marathon winners worldwide. In a few days, he and Johana Kariankei from Kenya will lace up for the Blue Nose marathon events.

Students at Armbrae Academy got to meet them and run with them on Wednesday evening and said it was an inspirational.

READ MORE: What streets will be closed for the 2015 Blue Nose Marathon?

“It’s really cool, coming face to face with some of the best runners in the world,” said Grade 11 student Owen Bishop.

Last year three runners from Kenya took part in the event, winning in the men’s and women’s full marathon and capturing second in the men’s half-marathon.

“This is the lifestyle of Kenyans,” said Kirui, who will run in the half-marathon. “They are cultured to win.”

Kirui met former Canadian coach Cliff Matthews during one of the latter’s visits to Kenya and they became friends. When Matthews died suddenly two months ago, Kirui decided to come to Canada and run in his honour.

READ MORE: Runners in Halifax marathon to honour legacy of coach who died

“The feeling I have for Canada and my friends now in Canada, I feel like I will come always,” he said.

The Blue Nose Marathon does not pay runners to compete. Ethan Michaels said Kirui received invitations to run all over the world and could earn as much as $50,000. U.S. per race.

Michaels expects Kirui to put on a show in the half-marathon. “He answered the bell and said ‘I’m going to put a performance together so he’ll always be remembered.'”

Kariankei won the half-marathon last weekend in Toronto by two minutes. He will run the 5-K event at the Blue Nose. He trains with Kirui and said he looks up to him.

“You see him training and you see him racing,” Kariankei said. “He’s also easy to talk to and we can share ideas, so iIget a lot of ideas from him.”