Bor Continues Family Legacy

AMES, Iowa ? Where Iowa State distance runner Hilary Bor comes from, running is a part of everyday life. The freshman standout is from Kapsabet, Kenya, a small village near Nairobi. Kapsabet has produced many successful distance runners including Olympic medalists Bernard Lagat, Peter Rono and Wilfred Bungei, who in 2006, won gold in the 800-meter run at the World Indoor Championships.

“In my hometown, you see people running everywhere,” Bor said.

Bor lived outside of town and had 20 miles traverse one-way every morning to get to school.

Running in many ways, is a family legacy for Bor. His uncle, Barnaba Korir ran for Iowa State and his brother, Emmanuel runs competitively at Alabama.

“He comes from a great family tradition of distance runners and that's very important to him,” track and field head coach Corey Ihmels said. “His culture and where he comes from is very significant to him.”

Bor holds the school record at Arnesens High School for the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:15.00. In high school, he also competed in field events, earning the title of district champion in long jump and pole vault.

The freshman set a personal best of 4:04 in the mile last weekend at the ISU Classic.

“I want to run hard and compete at nationals and see how well I do,” said Bor of his personal aspirations.

“He sees being here as a great opportunity to get a great education and compete at a high level but also down the line, give back to his country and that's something very important,” Ihmels said.

Bor and his teammates are preparing for the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 29-March 1 in Lincoln, Neb.

Iowa State University Athletics

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