Running News Daily

By Bob Anderson, Founder of KATA

I wanted Charles Ngeno to succeed.

That is important to say at the beginning because this didn’t start as a fight. It started with trust.

In June 2025, Kenyan coach Charles Ngeno joined our KATA program. I agreed to loan him money to establish two KATA Running Camps and grow six acres of potatoes in Kenya. 

The idea was straightforward. KATA would provide the startup capital. Charles would operate the camps and potato farms. The potatoes would generate revenue, our loan would be repaid, profits would be shared according to our agreement, and the operation could become increasingly self-supporting.

Instead, Catherine and I ultimately advanced Charles 1,077,500 Kenyan shillings.

As of August 12, 2026, according to our records, Charles has repaid:

Zero.

Not one shilling.

And when I asked him again on August 12 when he was going to start paying back the loan, his response included:

“Let’s meet in centuries.”

He subsequently wrote:

“The time will come” 

After more than a year of promises, those words told me a lot.

I Was Warned About Charles

Shortly after entering into our agreement, people in Kenya began warning me about Charles.

I listened, but I also listened to Charles.

He called me regularly. We talked at length. He assured me that the things people said about him weren’t true. He presented himself as someone dedicated to helping young Kenyan athletes.

I chose to give him a chance.

Looking back, I believe Charles took advantage of that trust.

The important thing now is not what Charles says about me or what I say about him. It is what the written record shows.

And we have a substantial written record.

Charles Himself Called It a Loan

There should be no confusion now about whether this money was a gift.

It wasn’t.

My WhatsApp correspondence repeatedly describes these payments as loans, and Charles himself used exactly that word.

By September 29, 2025, I wrote to Charles:

“I have sent you 959,000 against your loan of 650k for your two camps and 600k for your six acres.”

Charles did not respond that the money wasn’t a loan.

Quite the opposite.

On October 7, while asking me for another 21,000 KES, Charles wrote:

“Then I will be knowing that my total loan is 1000000ksh.”

Two days later he made it even clearer:

“With this support, my total loan will now stand at Ksh 1,000,000.”

Those are Charles Ngeno’s words, not mine.

The Requests for Money Just Kept Coming

The pattern became remarkably consistent.

Charles would describe progress.

Then he would ask for more money.

On September 15 he told me he had planted the remaining quarter acre and said the 20,000 KES I had just sent had helped him.

Then came:

“Please send me 25k. Now.”

On October 3 he said his Nakuru camp rent was urgent and warned:

“Its very embarrassing to have my KATA camp closed.”

He urged Catherine and me to continue funding him, saying we had completed “90% journey” and shouldn’t stop with only 10 percent remaining.

On October 7 he predicted a very substantial potato harvest:

“Bob for my first harvest I’m expecting to have more than 150 bags of 50kg.”

He added:

“i promise good return.”

On October 21, as harvest approached, there was another request:

“Bob. Please send me 15k for olenguruone camp.”

On October 26, Charles said he needed another 28,000 KES to pay cooks at both camps and top up the Nakuru operation.

I sent it.

Two days later, after telling Charles that KATA existed to train, house and feed athletes and that potato revenue was supposed to support the operation, Charles wrote:

“Bob i do respect you. You really uplift me. I will assure you that all will be well.”

Four minutes later he asked me for another 5,000 KES.

This went on and on.

Eventually I stopped the bleed.

Where Were the Returns?

By October, potatoes were supposedly approaching harvest.

Charles gave me specific projected harvest dates.

He told me his first harvest would produce more than 150 bags of 50 kilograms.

I repeatedly explained how the money was supposed to work.

Potatoes would be harvested and sold. Sale proceeds would first go into the KATA account. The appropriate portion of the original farming loan would be recovered. The remaining profit would then be divided according to our agreement.

I wasn’t trying to take Charles’s livelihood away from him.

The opposite was true.

I wanted the operation to succeed so Charles could make money, KATA could recover its capital, athletes could be supported and the money could be recycled into additional farming.

But when harvest time arrived, getting money back became increasingly difficult.

In November, when I asked when funds would be transferred to our Equity Bank account in Kenya, Charles answered:

“When the potatoes market will show fairness in price.for now all has to wait.”

He later wrote:

“as soon as I sell potatoes, I will ask for bank account.”

But there was another revealing sentence:

“Untill I see there is return, I will sell. Else for now not yet.”

The person who had enthusiastically accepted our money was now deciding on his own when the crop financed by that money would be sold.

I Kept Giving Him the Benefit of the Doubt

This is perhaps the part that bothers me most.

Every time something didn’t add up, I wanted to believe there was an explanation.

When others questioned Charles, he frequently suggested that they were enemies trying to damage him.

At one point, after I asked for basic proof of his camps and potato operation, Charles told me:

“I know who is behind all this.”

He said the person was a “pure enemy” and told me:

“I only expect communication from you directly.”

That should have been another warning sign.

Instead of welcoming independent verification of an operation financed with our money, Charles repeatedly tried to turn questions about documentation into questions about the motives of the people asking them.

I nevertheless continued working with him.

There Was Another History I Should Have Examined More Closely

I also later learned much more about a serious controversy involving Charles a decade earlier.

In 2015, Kenyan media reported allegations by Athletics Kenya officials concerning Charles and young female athletes at the Keringet training camp.

The allegations were extremely serious.

Charles denied them.

Contemporary reporting said Athletics Kenya announced a lifetime ban and ordered the camp closed amid allegations involving manipulation and improper relationships with female athletes.

Charles publicly disputed the accusations and said they were rumors intended to tarnish his name.

Those allegations should not be presented as proven facts simply because they were published.

But they were serious enough that I wish I had investigated the entire episode much more carefully before trusting Charles with our money.

Charles has also had genuine accomplishments as a coach, and athletes associated with Keringet have achieved considerable success. That is part of his history too.

None of that, however, answers the question before us today:

What happened to KATA’s 1,077,500 KES, and when will it be repaid?

From Promises to “Let’s Meet in Centuries”

For months I received assurances.

Charles told me:

“I’m promising you will see the Impact.”

He promised a “good return.”

He told me:

“I will assure you that all will be well.”

He acknowledged in writing that the money was a loan.

He told me how much that loan totaled.

He gave us projected harvest dates.

He predicted more than 150 bags from his first harvest.

And at one point he assured me that he would repay 400,000 KES.

That payment never arrived.

Eventually the total amount Catherine and I advanced reached 1,077,500 KES.

According to our records:

Money advanced: 1,077,500 KES

Money repaid: 0 KES

Outstanding: 1,077,500 KES

Then, on August 12, 2026, after I again asked when he was going to start paying back the loan, I got:

“Let’s meet in centuries.”

For me, that was the end of the excuses.

Charles Ngeno Has the Opportunity to Answer

I am publishing this because other people considering financial dealings with Charles deserve to know what happened to us.

But Charles deserves the opportunity to respond as well.

So I am asking him publicly:

Did you receive 1,077,500 KES from us?

Do you acknowledge that this money was advanced under our KATA loan arrangement?

How much money did the six acres of potatoes actually produce?

Where did the proceeds go?

What happened to the two KATA camps we financed?

Why have you not repaid a single shilling?

What happened to the 400,000 KES you said you would repay?

And finally:

When are you going to repay the 1,077,500 KES?

Charles doesn’t need to answer with another promise.

He doesn’t need to tell me that “the time will come.”

And he certainly doesn’t need to tell me:

“Let’s meet in centuries.”

He can answer with something much simpler 

A payment.

Until that happens, I believe people dealing financially with Charles Ngeno deserve to see the record and make up their own minds.

We trusted him.

We funded him.

We waited.

Now we are making the record public.

 

Eleven months away from racing. Achilles surgery. Just six weeks of serious training.

Now, Jakob Ingebrigtsen is an Ultimate Champion.

The Norwegian star delivered a stunning performance in Budapest, winning the men’s 5000m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in 12:59.24.

It was a race that demanded patience, tactical intelligence and a perfectly timed finish—qualities Ingebrigtsen has repeatedly demonstrated throughout his career.

Rather than forcing the pace from the front, Ingebrigtsen stayed towards the back of the field and waited as the race unfolded. He remained composed while the leading group battled for position, conserving his energy for the moment that mattered most.

That moment came in the final straight.

Ingebrigtsen unleashed his trademark finishing speed, powering past his rivals and holding off a determined challenge from American star Cole Hocker to secure the gold medal.

Hocker finished second in 13:00.05, while fellow American Parker Wolfe took third in 13:00.13. The result gave Ingebrigtsen another major title in a season that began with serious questions about how quickly he could return to his best.

His comeback has been extraordinary.

After nearly 11 months away from competition and a spell on the sidelines following Achilles surgery, Ingebrigtsen returned to racing with limited preparation. Just six weeks of serious training stood between him and his return to the highest level.

Yet he has already transformed that uncertainty into success.

The victory in Budapest also adds another fascinating chapter to his rivalry with Hocker. The American, who has established himself among the world's leading middle-distance runners, will get another opportunity to challenge Ingebrigtsen when the pair meet again in the 1500m later this weekend.

The 5000m may belong to Norway, but the rivalry is far from over.

For Ingebrigtsen, the message from Budapest is clear: the long road back has not weakened his competitive instincts. If anything, it has made his return even more impressive.

He waited. He watched. He chose his moment.

And when it was time to strike, Jakob Ingebrigtsen did what Jakob Ingebrigtsen does best—he finished the job.

Kenyan steeplechase star Doris Lemngole has officially turned professional after signing a contract with Swiss sportswear brand On, marking the beginning of a new chapter for one of the most accomplished young distance runners in the sport.

On announced the move on Thursday, September 10, confirming that the 24-year-old has been elevated from the NIL partnership she signed with the brand in August 2025 to its professional athlete roster. 

The decision comes after Lemngole completed a spectacular collegiate career at the University of Alabama, where she established herself as one of the most dominant distance runners in NCAA history. She leaves Tuscaloosa as a five-time NCAA champion, a collegiate record-holder and the winner of The Bowerman, the highest individual honor in American collegiate track and field.

Her breakthrough came in the 3,000m steeplechase, an event in which she repeatedly pushed the boundaries of collegiate running. In 2025, she clocked 8:58.15 to become the first woman in NCAA history to break the nine-minute barrier in the event. She also captured consecutive NCAA outdoor steeplechase titles in 2024 and 2025.

Lemngole was equally impressive over cross country. At the 2025 NCAA Championships in Missouri, she defended her national title in 18:25.4, producing the fastest winning performance in NCAA championship history by a considerable margin. Her consistency and dominance across disciplines ultimately helped her secure The Bowerman in December 2025, making her the first Alabama athlete and first Kenyan to receive the prestigious award. 

Her transition from collegiate standout to international contender has been remarkably rapid. Still competing as an Alabama athlete, Lemngole won her Diamond League debut in the 3,000m steeplechase at Athletissima in Lausanne in August 2025 before going on to represent Kenya at the World Championships in Tokyo, where she finished fifth. 

Now, just days before her professional announcement, Lemngole produced perhaps the strongest performance of her career. At the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 4, she stormed to a massive personal best of 8:52.86 for second place in the 3,000m steeplechase. Only five women in history had previously run faster, underlining just how extraordinary the performance was. Faith Cherotich won in a meeting-record 8:51.61, while Olympic champion Winfred Yavi finished third in 8:53.54. 

That performance provided a fitting bridge between Lemngole's collegiate dominance and her professional future. She is no longer simply one of the NCAA's brightest talents; she has now established herself firmly among the world's leading steeplechasers.

For On, the decision represents a natural continuation of a relationship that began when Lemngole joined its NIL roster in 2025. The Swiss brand said her ability to dominate at the collegiate level while immediately challenging the world's best made the move to its professional roster a natural progression.

For Lemngole, the signing is about much more than a new contract. It represents the next stage of a journey that has taken her from NCAA champion and record-breaker to Bowerman winner and international title contender.

With her collegiate chapter now complete and a sub-8:53 performance already on the record, the Kenyan has made her intentions clear: **the next challenge is to see just how far she can take her extraordinary talent on the global stage.**

Team USA delivered a remarkable display of depth in the men’s 5,000m at the World Ultimate Championships, placing five athletes among the top seven in a tightly contested race.

Cole Hocker led the American charge, finishing second in 13:00.05. The Olympic champion was followed closely by Parker Wolfe, who crossed the line third in 13:00.13, just eight hundredths of a second behind his compatriot.

Nico Young added another strong performance in fifth, clocking 13:00.26, while Grant Fisher finished sixth in 13:00.34. Graham Blanks completed the remarkable American showing, taking seventh in 13:00.40.

The closeness of the finish made the American performance even more impressive. The five Team USA athletes were separated by just 0.35 seconds, underlining the extraordinary level of competition within the American distance-running ranks.

It was also a striking combination of established experience and emerging talent. Hocker and Fisher have already established themselves among the leading American distance runners, while Wolfe, Young and Blanks represent the strength of the next generation pushing their way onto the global stage.

Although Team USA did not sweep the medals, having five runners inside the top seven was a powerful statement of collective strength. It demonstrated that American distance running possesses not only individual stars but also remarkable depth capable of challenging at the highest international level.

For Hocker, Wolfe, Young, Fisher and Blanks, the result adds another significant chapter to their seasons and provides a glimpse of the growing competitiveness of the United States in the 5,000m. With such a tightly packed group performing at the front of a major championship race, American distance running has plenty of reason for optimism.

Athletics has a remarkable way of connecting generations.

Sometimes, decades apart, two athletes emerge with a rare combination of speed, endurance and fearlessness that makes the extraordinary appear almost effortless. Kenya’s Daniel Komen and Australia’s Cameron Myers are separated by an era and a continent, but their careers share one fascinating thread — an exceptional ability to run incredibly fast over middle and long distances.

Daniel Komen — the Kenyan phenomenon

During the 1990s, Daniel Komen was one of the most feared distance runners on the planet.

At just 20 years old, Komen produced a performance that would become one of the defining moments of his career, running 7:20.67 for 3000m in Rieti, Italy, in 1996. The world record remained untouched for nearly 28 years before Jakob Ingebrigtsen finally broke it in 2024.

Komen followed that achievement with another performance that remains etched in distance-running history. In 1997, he ran 7:58.61 for two miles in Hengelo, becoming the first man to break the eight-minute barrier over the distance.

His brilliance was not limited to one event.

Komen possessed an extraordinary range, becoming only the second man after Algeria’s Saïd Aouita to break 3:30 for 1500m, 7:30 for 3000m and 13 minutes for 5000m.

Those performances established Komen as one of the most versatile and naturally gifted distance runners of his generation.

Cameron Myers — Australia's rising star

Almost three decades later, another young runner is beginning to capture the imagination of the athletics world.

Cameron Myers first made headlines as a teenager when, at 16, he ran 3:55.44 for the mile. The performance made him the second-youngest athlete ever to break four minutes for the distance and confirmed that Australia had a remarkable middle-distance talent on its hands.

But Myers has not allowed the hype surrounding his teenage achievements to define him.

Now 20, he is increasingly proving himself against the world's best senior athletes.

His breakthrough continued in 2026 when he produced a spectacular 3:28.00 personal best for 1500m in Paris, firmly establishing himself among the world's elite over the distance.

Then came Brussels.

At the Diamond League Final on September 4, Myers delivered perhaps the biggest statement of his young career, winning the 1500m in 3:30.14 against a world-class field. The victory came in a race featuring some of the biggest names in the event, including Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Olympic champion Cole Hocker.

For Myers, it was another important step from promising prodigy to established senior star.

He is no longer simply the talented teenager everyone was waiting to see develop.

Cameron Myers has arrived.

Different eras, remarkable similarities

Comparing athletes from different generations is always difficult. The competition, training methods, technology and circumstances change, and every great athlete deserves to be judged within the context of their own era.

But the similarities between Komen and Myers are still fascinating.

Komen showed the world in the 1990s that extraordinary speed could be combined with exceptional endurance. Myers is now demonstrating that same fearless approach as he takes on the strongest 1500m fields in the world.

Komen has already secured his place in athletics history.

Myers is only beginning to write his.

The Australian still has many years ahead of him, and whether he can eventually build a legacy comparable to Komen's remains impossible to predict. What is certain, however, is that his progression has already been remarkable.

From a teenager breaking four minutes for the mile to a 20-year-old running 3:28.00 and winning a Diamond League Final, Myers has moved through the ranks at extraordinary speed.

Daniel Komen was one of the athletes who made the impossible look normal. Cameron Myers now has an opportunity to create his own version of that magic.

Different generations. Different countries. Different journeys.

But one extraordinary gift — the ability to run very, very fast. 

The stage is set for one of the most anticipated clashes of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, with Olympic champion Gabby Thomas and reigning world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden drawn into the same women’s 200m semifinal.

The American stars will go head-to-head in Semifinal 2 after the lane draw placed Jefferson-Wooden in Lane 6 and Thomas directly alongside her in Lane 7, setting up a mouthwatering encounter between two of the biggest names in the event.

The semifinal will also feature Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke in Lane 3, while Jenna Prandini occupies Lane 4. Hungary’s Boglárka Takács will start in Lane 1, with Lavanya Williams in Lane 2, Fabienne Hoenke in Lane 5, Kayla White in Lane 8 and Australia’s Torrie Lewis in Lane 9.

All eyes, however, will be on the two Americans.

Thomas arrives with an Olympic title to her name and a reputation for delivering on the biggest stages, while Jefferson-Wooden carries the confidence of a reigning world champion. With both athletes lining up shoulder-to-shoulder, there will be little room for error when the gun goes.

The Budapest showdown adds another chapter to an increasingly compelling rivalry in the women’s 200m. Thomas has consistently established herself among the event’s elite, while Jefferson-Wooden has emerged as one of the sport’s most dangerous championship performers.

Now, they will have to share the same straight.

With a place in the final at stake, the semifinal promises to be one of the standout races of the championship. The Olympic champion and world champion are on a collision course—and Budapest is ready to find out who will blink first.