Kenya, The Champion Of Long-Distance Race, Has Finally Put On Running Shoes.

The word "Enda" is "Go" in the Swahili dialect of Kenya people. Enda Iten is an obscure town in Kenya which is rich in long-distance running champion.

Now, the name of Enda will become a Kenya running shoes brand.

Born in Kenya, Navalayo Osembo is an accountant and lawyer. She co founded the brand with Weldon Kennedy Kennedy, an American manager, selling running shoes from Kenya.

In almost all famous long-distance races, Kenya people can always take a place.

The East African country, with a population of 45 million 550 thousand, is the biggest champion of Olympic long distance runners since 1980s, with more than 50 medals.

Since 1988, the Kenya people have won 20 Boston marathons.

One theory is that Kenya people run barefooted from their bare feet to use their forefeet on the floor rather than the hind feet.

This is also a kind of "local characteristics" that Enda running shoes try to convey. For example, the rubber of heel is only 4 millimeters thick than the sole of the foot, which is half the average running shoes.

Enda's logo is the image of a gun. Osembo explains that this is a symbol of freedom in Kenya. A documentary "runner running with guns" describes that the Kenya government encourages exile "village warriors" to surrender rifles for amnesty.

。

Osembo said their goal is to create a business model that can benefit economically from the reputation of long-distance running in Kenya.

Enda this one.

At present, fundraising is being made on the public financing website Kickstarter, which is about 23% less than the target of $75000. If all goes well, the shoes will be put into production in 9 months this year: a pair of lightweight training running shoes, close to barefoot feeling.

In this way

Technically, there is no high threshold. Its target market will be professional runners in the United States. They are usually willing to spend 100-125 dollars on running shoes, while a pair of Enda running shoes are currently selling at a minimum price of $85 on Kickstarter, which also benefits from trade agreements between the United States and African countries, and does not require import duties.

Because the textile industry in Kenya is not developed, most of the materials and components of Enda shoes need to be imported from a factory run by Jones & Vining, a Chinese footwear manufacturer in Dongguan, China (Jones & Vining, also a supplier of Nike, New Balance, Saucony, etc.), and then sent to Kenya for processing and assembly.

Although the two founders all hope that the production will be carried out in Kenya, it will be very difficult indeed. The so-called running shoes from Kenya are still a product biased towards the concept.

"In fact, if you ask a person (what kind of Kenya is), they will talk about running, wild animals and poverty."

Kennedy said that Enda hopes to open up discussions about Nairobi (Kenya's capital) and the design and technological innovations that are taking place in the city center.