Joyce Njeru sprints against poverty

My mother also ran, but she couldn't continue because she didn't have the support of any sponsors. Joyce-Muthoni Njeru

Joyce, 28, also embraces trail running to gain more opportunities, travel, support her family financially, and support disadvantaged youth in Kenya. She struggled to afford her education from a young age. She juggled high school classes with work on a farm and training. “I started running when I was twelve, running about ten kilometers each way to school. They saw I was good at school competitions; at the time, I participated in 5,000 and 10,000-meter races, like my mother, who also ran in her youth but couldn't continue because she didn't have any sponsors,” Joyce recounts during a recent visit to Catalonia. “It was in 2017 when I started as a professional, with mountain races, and the following year I fulfilled another dream: joining the army. There are many of us runners in the armed forces; they let us out to compete. When I return to Nairobi, my job is to drive the troops to their various destinations,” she explains. Her superior officers allow her to travel around the world and reside during the competition season in Saluzzo, Italy, where she trains with the support of the Atletica Saluzzo club.

There are many of us runners in the armed forces; when I return to Nairobi, my job is to drive the troops to their various destinations. Joyce-Muthoni Njeru

The distance she feels most comfortable with is the half marathon, although in the future she wants to discover how she performs in the 50 kilometers. After strong results in recent seasons, 2025 hasn't gotten off to the best start she'd hoped. She placed sixth in the inaugural Golden Trail Series in Kobe, Japan. She recently canceled her participation in the Golfo dell'Isola, Italy, due to not feeling 100%. However, last weekend she returned to the 21-km Nasego Trophy in the Italian Alps, finishing third with a time of 1:51, behind fellow Kenyan Philaries Kisang (1:46:16) and Britain's Scout Adkin (1:46:22). Her next event is the Broken Arrow in California, a race she won in 2024.

Her successful foray into this sport somewhat offsets the sadness she feels because her mother couldn't pursue athletics. Recently signed by NNomal, the brand created by Kilian Jornet, she considers herself fortunate and does her part to support the well-being of her loved ones. When asked about the projects she collaborates on, she responds discreetly: "I do things because I want to do them, not to tell stories."

As a teenager, she ran with a club in Nyanyahuru, a city that has produced great runners, such as the late Samuel Wanjiru, a marathon gold medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and which is home to two slums , shanty towns where people subsist on very limited resources. Upon returning to Kenya, Joyce visits these slums, Kia-Maina and Maguo, to provide food and hygiene items to their residents and pay tuition fees for several schoolchildren. “Many people displaced by natural disasters and conflicts live there. Parents can't afford their children's education, and since 2023, I've been asking teachers for students with better grades so I can pay for their tuition and tuition,” she says.

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Kenya is also home to Africa's largest refugee camps, Dadabb and Katuma, as well as many other inhumane slums , such as Kibera in the capital. In addition to her powerful stride, Joyce shines for her commitment to various social causes, aware that her skills and hard work have placed her in a comfortable position.