It is 6am and lights in small bungalows are starting to turn on in the small Kenyan town of Iten. Here, around 2,400 meters above sea level and 350 kilometers northwest of the capital Nairobi, athletes are getting ready to start their day at the place called "Home of Champions."

The high altitude training camp is where hundreds of running elite prepare for marathons and the Olympic Games.

German marathon runner Fabienne Königstein is one of them. Together with her husband and young daughter, Skadi, the 31-year-old has taken up residence in Iten for four weeks to get herself in shape for upcoming competitions - including the prestigious Boston Marathon.

While Königstein laces up her running shoes, her husband Karsten quickly changes their daughter Skadi before they head off to the first training session of the day.

"It's wonderful to have the family here," Königstein told DW. "Above all, I enjoy that I can spend a lot of quality time with my daughter alongside training."

Königstein has often been to Kenya for training camps, but previously it has been with her team and, almost always, without her family. But since she became a mother in 2022, her life has changed.

"Skadi is only one and a half years old and I couldn't be here without my daughter," explained the marathon runner, who takes it in........

© Deutsche Welle