“This year the goal is to finish in two hours and twenty minutes,” says Steve, who has already participated in one marathon this year, in Nairobi in May.
“It is easier to run in Oslo. The weather and the temperatures are better here than in Kenya, which enables me to run faster,” he says.
The 46-year-old started running in 2008, when his daughter commented on his stomach, asking:
“Dad, when are you going to have the baby?”
Since then, running has almost become an addiction to Steve.
On a daily basis, he works as head of the drivers at the NRC regional office for the Horn of Africa in Nairobi. Although at work he spends a lot of time driving a car, Steve also finds the time for exercise:
“Every morning, I run 23 km to work and every evening I run ten kilometers,” he says.
As a driver, Steve is often out in the field and in refugee camps such as Dadaab, the world's largest housing more than 350,000 people, and Kakuma, housing more than 180,000 refugees, mainly from Somalia and South Sudan. Steve’s dream for tomorrow's marathon is, of course, to win.
“I run for the world’s displaced people,” he says and adds:
“I also want to dedicate this race to the Norwegian people, who through a fantastic commitment in recent weeks have shown their support for the world's refugees.”