Kenya's Boston Marathon Runners Get Star Treatment At Hopkinton School
HOPKINTON (CBS) – Five former Boston Marathon champions were part of a group of elite Kenyan runners that were treated like royalty at a school in Hopkinton Thursday.
Read: 2019 Boston Marathon Coverage
The runners were the guests of honor at the annual pep rally at the Elmwood elementary school, which is just 1.3 miles from the marathon starting line.
2017 champ EDNA KIPLIGAT IN THE BUILDING!!! This is how you walk in when you've won LA, NYC, London AND Boston Marathons... #LikeABoss @bostonmarathon @wbz pic.twitter.com/2moFk4sUPI
— Nick Giovanni (@NickGNews) April 11, 2019
The second and third graders screamed "jambo," which means "greetings" in Swahili, and waved Kenyan flags as the runners entered the packed school gym for the special assembly.
The elite team also visited a classroom and took questions from students about their training and culture. Third graders spend part of the school year learning about Kenya to prepare for the event, which is known at Elmwood as "Kenya Day."
It ends with a memorable group run with third-graders outside.
The Elmwood School event began in 1992 when 150 students welcomed three-time Boston Marathon champion Ibrahim Hussein and his Kenyan teammates.
You can watch the Boston Marathon live on CBSBoston.com and WBZ-TV, Monday, April 15. Pre-race coverage on WBZ-TV begins at 7 a.m., with race coverage at 9 a.m.