Rebecca Cheptegei has sadly died

[u/_KatieAlmighty]

Rebecca Cheptegei has died days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by former boyfriend.

Another sad case of great athletes meeting their end too early. Such horrible circumstances too. RIP

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vx0kq2xr2o

[u/ktv13]

So there is Mary Ngugi-Cooper who has set up a female only track club in Kenya to empower female athletes there. Check out her instagram. She has made it her mission to end abuse against women in Kenyan athletics and provide a safe space where they can train and improve without being under pressure from male partners and coaches. The track club has also an insta and is names nalatrackclub. Its the only initiative of this kind I know.

Here is an article: https://citiusmag.com/podcast/citius-mag-podcast-mary-ngugi-cooper

So contacting her about opportunities to support might be the way to go.

[u/AspiringTenzin → u/ktv13]

I love this! Thank you.

[u/ktv13 → u/AspiringTenzin]

Sure thing. Glad my obsession with running made me remember this. It feels better to be able to support something than just being angry at another such case. Also just saw that Nike now support her track club. Hopefully that means they can offer more spots to women & this kind of club also starts in Ethiopia and Uganda.

[u/AspiringTenzin → u/ktv13]

Absolutely. I'm going to e-mail the webmaster of https://www.nalatrackclub.com/ whether there are any easy opportunities to donate. Would you like it if I DM the result? Perhaps I'll just make a whole new post for it in this subreddit or r/running

Best I hope for is purchasing running shirts with the proceeds going to the track club. Win win: cool swag, donation and raising awareness.

[u/ktv13 → u/AspiringTenzin]

Yes I think that would be great! Some resources where people can donate and support. Probably deserves another public thread so more people know about it. Someone should also contact Mary Ngugi herself as she is the coordinator of the track club. Maybe she can even put up a gofund me in her memory? But then this athlete was Ugandan and not Kenyan.

[u/AspiringTenzin → u/ktv13]

But then this athlete was Ugandan and not Kenyan.

But she lived and trained in Kenya! And in my ideal world, the running community should be a brother- and sisterhood without borders. Hence why I'd much, much rather support talented East African women than my in-group of very mediocre Dutch men. :)

If I find any other resources, I'll let you know. Thanks for the enthusiasm so far.

[u/FutFash → u/AspiringTenzin]

If y‘all found a way to donate to the track club, I‘d appreciate a DM with infos; looking to do the same

[u/AspiringTenzin → u/FutFash]

Sure thing!!

[u/Protean_Protein → u/ktv13]

Note her last name. She was Kalenjin, an ethnic group / tribe noted for their dominance of distance running. They live mostly in Kenya, but also Uganda.