Upon crossing the finishing line and winning the Mountain Classic, which brought her the title of World Champion in this mountain running discipline in Chiang Mai last November, there was a lot of joy and pride. Rebecca Cheptegei was new to the scene, her contests on trails could be counted on one hand – sixth at Thyon-Dixence, 26th at the fantastic Sierre-Zinal (both races are held in Switzerland), third at the national Mountain Running Championships.

“When I look back at the World Championships, it still fills me with pride to think of my amazing success,” she says. “The course was accommodating, as were the general conditions and circumstances in Thailand. I felt great, which was evident throughout the race.”

We are catching up with Cheptegei between two training units. She lives and runs in Bukwo, a district and town of the same name in the east and towards the border of her home country Uganda. Agriculture – potatoes, apples and tomatoes, passion fruit, coffee and other plants are grown here – and livestock farming are the most important commercial activities in this area that is shaped by poverty and violence. But Bukwo gained international notoriety thanks to its runners. Joshua Cheptegei, reigning 10,000 m World Champion and Olympic champion, exercises here, as do Cross Country World Champion Jacob Kiplimo, Moses Ndiema Kipsiro or Peruth Chemutai, the latter of whom won the 3,000 m run in Tokyo. Bukwo lies more than 1,700 meters above sea level, thus offering ideal training conditions for running at high altitude. The Kenyan runners’ mekka Iten is a mere 160 km away, however, it takes about 3,5 hours to get there by car.

“I love nature and the mountains,” says Cheptegei, a member of the Kalendjin tribe, whose name translates to “born on den ground”. Seeing as it lies in the shadow of Mount Elgon, one of East Africa’s highest mountain massifs at 4,321 m, Bukwo seems the perfect place for any mountain lover.

Her birthplace notwithstanding, the athlete is impressed by the Alps, and she still carries the impressions from the Sierre-Zinal with her. “I would love to return, I really love it there.” The World Mountain and Trail Running Championships 2023 Innsbruck-Stubai would be the next opportunity for her to do so.

“As a defending champion I would love to compete in Tyrol; I would do anything to win a medal again.”

Rebecca Cheptegei, married and a mother of two, is an army athlete with a salary. “Even though I regard myself a pro, I have to say that the WMTRC title in Chiang Mai has not changed my life.”

Makes sense. After all, there’s not that much money (yet) to be made with mountain and trail running, which is just one of the reasons for the 32-year old to focus on road running. Her personal best dates back to 2011, when she ran a half marathon in 1:13:05, and to 2022 for the marathon, which she completed in an impressive 2:22:47, setting a new national record, which brought her a ticket for the World Championships in Athletics in Hungary.

“I don’t know yet whether I will compete in Innsbruck-Stubai or not. It’s a decision made by the national athletic association, however, that being said, if I do get permission to participate, I will obviously be there,” Cheptegei says.

And who knows, maybe there’ll be another medal decorating the versatile athlete’s home very soon …