Lanni Marchant training in Kenya with top American marathoner

After a stellar 2013 that saw her take down the Canadian women’s marathon record, Lanni Marchant is now looking forward to 2014.

The London, Ont., native has begun a six-week training camp in Kenya where she will do base training for her upcoming spring races. She has not yet decided on exactly which races those will be.

“I’m not 100 per cent certain on my spring races,” said Marchant. “I will be doing a 10,000m on the track for sure. I should know a bit more by the end of the month after my coach and I make a few more decisions.”

Marchant is rooming with American marathoner Desiree Davila and the two will be doing a lot of their training together. Davila, who finished second in the 2011 Boston Marathon, is training to race in Boston again in April. Davila also represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London but did not finish the race.

This will not be Marchant’s first camp in Kenya. She trained there for a month in both 2012 and 2013 as well. This will be Davila’s first trip to the East African nation. The country has become a popular destination for Canadian marathoners. Reid Coolsaet is also there for a camp currently with some other Speed River athletes.

The two will be staying in Iten, Kenya, at Lornah Kiplagat’s high altitude training centre, a popular choice for international athletes training in the country.