Kenya's first running shoe - Enda Interview

We are delighted to share the following interview with Weldon Kennedy, co-founder of Enda Sportswear, Kenya's first running shoe. 

In case you missed it, in June Enda Sportswear raised well over $100k on Kickstarter. The enormous success of their crowdfunding campaign means the team are now working full throttle to bring Kenyan-made shoes to the world.

Enda is a social enterprise and girls' education is close to their hearts - we truly love what they are doing.

Read on for more from Weldon...

• How and when did the idea for Enda came about?
  "The moment of inception was really when Navalayo and I met at a social good pitching contest. She was pitching an school combining athletics and academic education to increase the amount Kenyan benefits from running. As a runner who has long struggled with shoes, I'd been musing on a shoe that worked well with a natural Kenyan running style. So when we started talking, it took us just a few minutes to agree that we should make world-class running shoes in Kenya in pursuit of social impact here."
  
  
• What makes the design of your first model, the Iten, especially "Kenyan"?
  "There are really two parts to this - the technical aspects of the shoe and the cultural markers we added to the design. 
  
  "Technically, the shoes are built to work with natural running style that you most Kenyans employ. First off, it's light-weight at just 224 grams (7.9 oz) so it feels like it's barely there when running. It rewards a natural mid-foot or fore-foot strike by having just a 4mm drop from the heel to forefoot. This helps avoid landing on your heel which can happen in traditional trainers which often have a 12mm drop. The shoe looks like it has more of a heel than the 4mm drop would indicate. That's because the midsole cups the heel, displacing the need for a big heel counter. As a result the shoe really hugs your foot and moves with you as you run. You feel this when running across a slope, or on a dirt road like you find all over Kenya. Your foot stays firmly planted in the shoe rather than slipping over the midsole. 
  
  "We also want Enda's to help share Kenyan culture with the world, so worked hard on a design that helps do just that. We used lots of repeating triangle motifs on the outsole, technical mesh on the sides, and heel strap. These are commonly found in Maasai bead patterns and are one of the most iconic aspects of Kenyan design. On the midsole we made a little homage to the Great Rift Valley on the heel and put 12 lines along each side to celebrate Jamhuri day, Kenya’s independence day, on 12 December. Finally, printed on the sole, you’ll see the word “hamrambee”. It’s the national motto of Kenya, and means “we all pull together”. It’s a value we want to embody as a company, helping runners pull together to achieve their goals on the road, trail, or track, as well as pulling together as a global running community to accelerate social progress."

• One of Enda's missions is to "change the way the world sees Kenya." Please elaborate!
  People around the world know Kenya has great runners, wildlife, and is somewhere in Africa. Beyond that though, I get the sense the picture is limited. Hopefully we can shoe Kenya is an innovative country, that produces top-quality and beautiful products. Also, hopefully we can give runners around the world a better understanding of Kenyan running culture, the culture that helps produce more champions than any other." 

 

• The Amazing Maasai Girls Project champions female education, enterprise and empowerment in Kenya. What is your take on this, as a business and social enterprise?
  "Easy to agree with that cause! As a woman-led company, we're proud advocates of the value education for girls and women. Nava talks about this a lot, including in this post on the ONE.org blog:
  “I’m a product of education. Luck has come, but education has given me lots of opportunities,”

 

• Who else is part of the core team? 
  "At the moment Enda is just Navalayo and myself, Weldon. We've got a great support around us, including Steve Burris and Jones and Vining who have helped us develop our first design and we're continuing to work with them as we bring the Iten (our first shoe) to production."

 

• Is there an Enda running club or team?
  "Not yet, but we're keen to make it happen. We're calling the broad project Enda Community. Our goal is to link runners in their communities and also connect them back to Kenya. 
  
  "In terms of having a competitive team, we have two athletes we've been working with, Justin Lagat and Joan Cherop Massah, in developing the Enda Iten." 

 

• Aside from great shoes, what can those of us from outside E. Africa learn from the Kenyan approach to running and training?
  "I think there's a great deal that can be learned, and we've been commissioning runners here to share some thoughts and insights, including on diet and training." [Blog posts below]
  Training
  Diet

 

• What's on the horizon for Enda? Any new models or styles already on the vision board?
  ​"Our first "full" lineup that we're working toward is 5 shoes: a trail shoe, a high-milage trainer, a light-trainer (the Enda Iten), a racing flat, and track spikes. It will likely be a while before we bring them all into existence. One shoe at a time, and we've still got to get the Enda Itens out this year!" ​

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Thank you, Weldon! We are looking forward to seeing you at the Amazing Maasai Marathon later this month!

And in case you didn't get a chance to pre-order your pair of Endas, you can still do so here.