You may see a centered toughness when watching Joyce Njeru of Kenya race, so it’s not a shock to study that certainly one of her mantras is “queens by no means give up.” One of many world’s greatest mountain runners, with accolades together with three Mountain Working World Cup titles and a Golden Path World Collection title, Njeru comes from a small village in a rustic with a powerful historical past of each elite-level operating and restricted entry to sources for financial improvement.
Joyce Njeru firstly of the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace Ascent. She would go on to take second place. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Like many Kenyan runners, Njeru — even from an early age — noticed the game as a manner to enhance her household’s monetary state of affairs. With a household that didn’t at all times have the cash to pay college charges, she was decided to discover a solution to contribute. In operating, with which she discovered early success in main college races, she says, “The dream was to alter my background, which I can say wasn’t that good. I simply trusted that I used to be doing this for my future to be higher, and never to surrender.”
She was decided from the beginning. “I simply determined that with the expertise I’ve: You are able to do higher, and your life will be higher.” From first going to Europe to coach and race with the run2gether program in 2017, to signing with NNormal in 2025, Njeru has skilled unbelievable success, in addition to durations of wrestle. By way of all of it, she’s stayed true to that “why.” With the 2026 race season simply getting underway and numerous classes realized in 2025, she’s able to embrace regardless of the yr brings.
Childhood Working
Njeru is the oldest of three kids, and her mother and father generally struggled to make ends meet. Her father gathered wooden to make charcoal, whereas her mom labored on a farm. Njeru would go assist her father within the bush, however says she understood, “They’re struggling a lot for us to get the meals and likewise to have garments, so I simply categorised myself as a firstborn.”
This meant that whilst a baby, she says she confronted the questions of, “What can I do, or what can I add for them [my parents] to be some other place, and likewise to assist the younger ones which are behind me?” Njeru continues, saying that after a day of working together with her dad within the bush, carrying heavy masses on her again, “I felt like this isn’t the place we belong, and I must do one thing else.” She informed her mom, “Someday, one time, you’ll not be right here.”
Njeru grew up in a small village in Kenya. Picture: Joel Badia Visuals
When Njeru began operating in school round age 12, she was naturally quick. She says, “I knew that I’ve a expertise that I can develop. I needed to put extra effort into it.” Njeru’s mom was additionally a runner, however finally had to surrender the game due to an absence of assist. Njeru says, “From her, I bought recommendation and assist. I wished to do what she didn’t do.”
Njeru’s main college had about 350 college students and competed with neighboring colleges at monitor meets. She says operating was “one thing pleasant” for her and that she was actually good at it. She raced the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races and was dominant within the occasions. She says of her teammates, “They might know that now we have any individual who is robust and may beat all the opposite college students, they usually had been blissful.” Even at that age, Njeru understood, “If I develop [my running], that may change my household, my background, my life, and my future will be good.”
Shifting Up the Ranks
After main college, certainly one of Njeru’s lecturers, who noticed her expertise, launched her to a coach at a operating camp the place she might examine alongside coaching. This system centered on monitor and cross-country occasions and despatched runners to Japan to compete. Whereas offering coaching, Njeru says the general state of affairs on the camp “wasn’t that good.” However whereas there, Njeru met somebody with connections to run2gether, a corporation devoted to offering European racing alternatives to Kenyan runners.
Njeru representing the run2gether workforce on her solution to successful the 2022 Montée du Nid d’Aigle. Picture: World Mountain Working Affiliation/Marco Gulberti
“He informed me, there’s a camp, and you’ll come and check out your luck,” Njeru explains. “We had been simply making an attempt to have every other choices.” Njeru went to the run2gether coaching camp, and after excelling at one of many program’s trials — held to establish expertise — was requested to affix the workforce. Of her pal who made this connection for her, Njeru says with a smile, “He actually helped me. The run2gether camp helped me in growing my profession, and I can say it was a good suggestion for me.”
Njeru explains that previous to becoming a member of run2gether, “I wasn’t conscious of mountain operating. Actually, in my highschool research, I by no means knew about it.” It wasn’t till 2017, when she made her first journey to Europe to race, that she discovered the game.
Racing in Europe
Njeru was centered on cross nation when she first traveled to Europe with the run2gether workforce in 2017. The group operates a facility within the Austrian Alps the place Kenyan runners and friends reside and run alongside one another, and Njeru was certainly one of a handful of Kenyans coaching there.
About her first journey to Europe, Njeru says, “I used to be curious how I’ll discover folks behaving, how the issues are, and extra vital, methods to compete.” She realized early on that she’d additionally do some mountain operating. “I used to be simply curious, How is the mountain operating? How are the programs? How will I carry out?” The tradition shock was actual, however being surrounded by different Kenyans in this system helped. “As a result of we stayed all collectively, we will communicate the identical language afterward. It was simply simple.”
Njeru and Philemon Kiriago of Kenya share fun on the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace Ascent begin line. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Njeru beloved racing cross nation, and it suited her mentality. She says that for cross nation, “You want that preventing spirit.” She explains, “It’s one thing cherishable, however loads don’t have the persistence to the ache. So I’ve to be robust, and likewise be persistent with the ache.”
It wasn’t lengthy till she tried her first mountain race, the 2017 Gernkogel Mountain Run in Austria. “I received. It was my first time racing in a mountain race. It wasn’t simple anyway, however I actually felt good,” Njeru recounts. Quickly after, she was second on the 2017 Val Gardena Mountain Run in Italy, after which received the 2017 Obergailtaler Mountain Run again in Austria. She laughs when she says, “I feel Thomas [Krejci, the run2gether program director,] simply determined, ‘She is usually a good runner of path.’”
Njeru raced in Europe once more in 2018 after which returned dwelling to serve within the Kenyan navy for 2 years. She says, “I actually desired to be among the many forces, so I used to be fortunate to affix the Kenya Protection Forces.” She explains that many Kenyan athletes be a part of the armed forces, obtain assist for his or her coaching, and full all navy coaching whereas holding down a job. She says it’s a solution to “maintain you transferring in case there’s something, perhaps an damage otherwise you simply give up operating, then there’s an alternative choice.” Even from a younger age, Njeru wished to be a police officer when she grew up, and the Protection Forces provided a great match.
Psychological Toughness and European Success
When Njeru returned to Europe to race in 2021, she introduced extra coaching, expertise, and psychological toughness, permitting her to excel in a few of the most tough mountain races. Moreover, she was nonetheless employed by the Kenya Protection Forces, which supplied her with financial stability and decreased the strain to make a dwelling solely from race prize cash. Njeru explains that lots of her fellow runners can’t survive simply off their winnings, “You need to go perhaps to do some form of work to place the meals on the desk. It’s not at all times simple as a result of the form of work you do perhaps is farming, and it’s at all times tiresome.”
Njeru on her solution to successful the 2025 Damaged Arrow Skyrace 23k. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Njeru says that together with her return to European mountain operating in 2021, “I simply bought again with a thoughts much less harassed. There’s much less strain about, ‘What’s going to I eat, when will I get the cash?’” Njeru thrived, successful the Mountain Working World Cup title. On her solution to that world cup title, she received the Großglockner Mountain Run and Fletta Path, and was fourth on the Trofeo Nasego.
In 2022, she once more received the Mountain Working World Cup by successful Großglockner, Montée du Nid d’Aigle, Giir di Mont Uphill, and the Canfranc Canfranc Vertical, amongst different races. Then in 2023, she noticed continued success when she received the Mountain Working World Cup for a 3rd yr in a row, positioned third on the World Mountain Working Championships Up and Down race, and was second at Sierre-Zinal.
Njeru finishes the 2023 World Mountain Working Championships Up and Down race in third place. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
In 2024, she received the Golden Path World Collection total, successful the Damaged Arrow Ascent and 23k and Mammoth Trailfest within the U.S. alongside the way in which. Her skyrocket trajectory maybe reached its first main crest in 2025 when Njeru signed with the model NNormal.
Njeru credit a lot of her psychological toughness to her previous and continues to attract on it when instances are tough. “I can say from no matter I handed via once I was younger and all that I noticed with my eyes, no matter you cross via at all times builds you as much as keep centered. To have that large dream, it’s like you’ve got some form of craving, like you should do one thing good, and also you’re able to doing it.” She continues, “You simply have that persistence and to encourage your self as a result of we at all times say, ‘No ache, no achieve.’ With the coaching, you will need to sacrifice your self to get the success.”
Njeru operating powerfully to second place on the 2025 Damaged Arrow Ascent. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Mountain Working in Kenya
Njeru now splits her time between Kenya and Europe. In the course of the racing low season, she lives in Kenya, shut sufficient to the place she grew up that she will be able to go dwelling some weekends. Whereas Kenya has a deep and wealthy operating tradition, a lot of it stays centered on highway and monitor racing, and Njeru typically trains alone.
She says, “If you attempt to inform [other runners], ‘Simply come and do the coaching for path and mountain,’ there’s a form of negativity. You will discover a giant group doing the highway race coaching, and likewise the marathon and the monitor. However with regards to path operating, there’s additional you must do to be on high.”
Njeru celebrates a win on the 2024 Val Bregaglia Path, a part of that yr’s Mountain Working World Cup Closing. Picture: iRunFar/Meghan Hicks
Njeru typically trains solely with somebody who’s there to assist set the tempo of a exercise. Every day, they assessment her prescribed coaching and determine on a route that greatest mimics her particular coaching wants. She says, “If you come to Kenya, it’s simply an instance, not precise, actual mountains.” Nonetheless, she values the neighborhood and notes that whereas her rivals in different elements of the world could have entry to higher coaching grounds, she sees how far aside they reside from one another, and she or he appreciates having fellow runners close by.
Trying to the Future
Njeru’s racing in 2025 proved tougher than the previous years. On the 2025 Kobe Path Golden Path World Collection (GTWS) race in Japan, she was within the lead till she went astray and ended up in sixth place. Within the Jinshanling Nice Wall race in China, additionally a GTWS race, she DNFed, and she or he didn’t end the GTWS Il Golfo dell’Isola Path in Italy three weeks later.
It wasn’t till the Damaged Arrow Skyraces within the U.S. in June that issues began to show round. She positioned second within the wind-shortened ascent race to start out the weekend, and she or he lined up for the 23k occasion a pair days later with confidence. She says, “I used to be like, Joyce, that is the race. Simply loosen up and do what you should, and consider in your self.” She went on to win and have a powerful second half of the season, together with a fourth place on the World Mountain Working Championships Up and Down race, and a fifth within the GTWS.
Njeru climbing to fourth place on the 2025 World Mountain Working Championships Up and Down race. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
She says of the season, “I realized generally issues don’t go the way in which we wish. I realized you can begin from wherever. I realized that being centered and remaining on the goal is rather more vital.”
As Njeru herself says, “Queens by no means give up,” and no matter 2026 brings, Njeru will carry her trademark toughness and dedication to all of the races she traces up for. She is aware of her “why,” she believes in herself, and she or he is aware of that her operating will proceed to alter her life.
Njeru descends in the course of the first lap of the 2025 World Mountain Working Championships Up and Down race. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Name for Feedback
- Do you’ve got a Joyce Njeru story you may share?
