On April 26, 2026, on the same planet, two runs were making history at the same time.

In London, the timer stopped at 1:59:30 the moment Kenyan runner Sebastian Sawe crossed the finish line. This marked the first time in human history that anyone had run a marathon in under two hours in an official race. At that moment, it was not just a record that had been broken. Humanity's understanding of its own limits had been completely rewritten.

When the news reached Nairobi, President Ruto personally presided over a national commendation ceremony, welcoming the young man from the highlands with the highest honors. This was not the first time Kenya had reached the pinnacle of long-distance running, but it was the first time it made the world realize that this land holds possibilities humanity has yet to fully measure.

On April 24, Ni Han, Changier's representative in Africa, joined Jonathan, governor of Uasin Gishu County, and Moses, director of the Eldoret City Marathon Organizing Committee, in the launching event of the China-Africa Youth Humanistic Care Action along the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway.

It is precisely this miracle that has given the "China-Africa Youth Humanistic Care Action along the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway", now being advanced by the Beijing Changier Education Foundation, an especially tangible annotation: why we chose Kenya and why we believe in this place, the answer is already on the track.

On the same day, another race was underway in Eldoret, the highland city crossed by the extension of the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. There was no world record and no glare of flashbulbs, only a group of Kenyan teenagers from poor families, wearing newly issued T-shirts and standing at the starting line as they took part in an official city marathon for the first time.

On April 24, Ni Han, Changier's representative in Africa, met with the Eldoret City Marathon Organizing Committee.

Official Eldoret City Marathon Handbook (including a Changier logo/introductory page)

News reports by Kenya’s mainstream media on the Eldoret City Marathon event

The Beijing Changier Education Foundation is right there.

A city and a belief

Eldoret, the capital of Uasin Gishu County in southwestern Kenya, lies in the heart of the highlands on the northern edge of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, at an elevation of about 2,100 meters.

Thin air, long red-dirt tracks, and generations of distance-running champions who have gone from here to podiums around the world. More than 5,000 professional athletes train here year-round, and over 40 world-class champions began their journeys on this plateau, making Eldoret an almost sacred name in the world of marathon running. The sports ecosystem nurtured here has also long attracted agents from around the world to establish a presence, fostering a distinctive local sports tourism economy.

Here, the marathon has never been just a sport. It is a gateway to changing one’s destiny, a vehicle for national pride, and a way for a country to prove itself to the world.

Yet beneath the glory, many young people remain outside the spotlight. They have talent, but no agents; they have speed, but no stage. It was for these people that Moses Tanui, the 1996 Boston Marathon champion, founded the Eldoret City Marathon in 2018, a race that requires no pedigree and no connections, only a pair of legs and a determined heart. The race is also acutely aware of the impact of climate change on this land. Before each edition, it plants at least 1 million saplings, weaving environmental advocacy into the spirit of sport and using running as a way to preserve a green future for the next generation.

It was no coincidence that the Beijing Changier Education Foundation chose to start here.

The falling of a seed

Twenty years ago, the Beijing Changier Education Foundation planted its first seed on Chinese soil. Twenty years later, that seed has taken root and sprouted in countless schools and communities. This public welfare organization, which holds special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has now turned its attention to Africa, once again choosing to start from the smallest places and connect with people heart to heart.

In January 2026, the foundation's "Changier Silk Road · Soft Connectivity: China-Africa Youth Humanistic Care Action along the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway" was selected for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' list of flagship events for the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges, making it the only project from Beijing to be included. The Foundation promptly set up a working group, convened a multi-stakeholder exchange meeting on cooperation, and launched various preparatory efforts. This is a long-term initiative about the railway, about young people, and about how two civilizations can grow together through mutual understanding.

Grand plans need real soil.

On April 26, the Beijing Changier Education Foundation made an appearance at the 2026 Eldoret City Marathon.

Event volunteers wore activity T-shirts donated by Changier.

Before the project was formally launched on the ground, the Beijing Changier Education Foundation did not begin with a press conference or publicity campaign. Instead, it put its resources directly into action by sponsoring 100 underprivileged Kenyan youths to take part in the marathon and donating uniform T-shirts for all event volunteers.

This arrangement continued the foundation's practical and low-profile way of working. Rather than focusing on formal external publicity, the foundation chose to give more young people who had previously lacked such opportunities a real chance to step onto the track, gaining experience, confidence and opportunities to connect with society through participation in a sporting event.

More often than not, this is how a seed truly takes root in the soil.

Warmth on and off the track

Ni Han, Changier's representative in Africa, with Governor Jonathan and other county government officials at the marathon starting line.

The race gets underway.

Children cheer along the route.

A military band adds to the atmosphere.

At the finish line: the name of Changier stands beside the finish.

The 7th Eldoret City Marathon, held in Eldoret, Kenya, on April 26, featured the men's full marathon, women's full marathon, a 10 km race and a one-mile fun run, drawing elite athletes and thousands of local residents into the streets. Governor Dr. Jonathan Bii Chelilim personally joined the organizing committee, together with the county's sports and tourism minister, and attended the event in person. A military band played, residents cheered along the route, and at the closing ceremony a youth martial arts team shared the stage with past athletics champions and para-athletes. It was a city's most complete tribute to running.

At the closing ceremony.

During the awards ceremony, the host announced the winners' placings on stage, with the Changier brand logo visible on the backdrop.

Ni Han, Changier's representative in Africa, joined Governor Jonathan and Director Moses in presenting the award to the men's marathon champion.

The public welfare initiatives of the Beijing Changier Education Foundation received special attention from the organizing committee and the county government. At the closing ceremony, the Foundation's representative was invited to join the governor in presenting the award to the men's marathon champion.

In Kenya, a marathon podium carries a significance all its own.

The finish line is only the beginning

On April 28, Ni Han, Changier's representative in Africa, poses for a photo after an exchange with the government of Uasin Gishu County.

Three days after the event concluded, the foundation's representative sat down for in-depth talks with the county government and the organizing committee.

The talks focused on the future. The two sides held extensive exchanges on follow-up cooperation for the "Changier Silk Road · Soft Connectivity" project and reached consensus on several key areas. The county government has taken an open stance, and the organizing committee's expectations are sincere. During the visit, the delegation also toured a long-distance running training base established by a Chinese professional agent. The focus and perseverance on display there day after day bore a certain resemblance, across mountains and seas, to Changier's two decades of dedicated work across China. Professor Wafula and Professor Agnes, a married couple from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, also provided in-depth academic support and local perspectives throughout the process.

This is only the beginning. The contours of the Changier Silk Road · Soft Connectivity" project are gradually coming into focus along the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway. Changier Huts, in-depth exchanges between Chinese and African youth, and the "Changier Silk Road" Friendship Train, which carries a dialogue between two civilizations, are all awaiting their moment.

And where it all began was a marathon, the run of 100 children, and a seed planted in the simplest of ways.

Epilogue

The highland scenery of Kenya's Uasin Gishu County. Eldoret is the county seat.

At the moment Savi broke the two-hour barrier, someone asked him: What were you thinking about while you were running?

He said, "I was just running."

Some things do not require too much thought. All you need to do is set out and truly enter another person's life.

What the Beijing Changier Education Foundation has been doing in Eldoret is, by and large, much the same thing.

Changier is already on its way.