The Starting Line: Paul Chelimo, Paul Katam and Abraham Kemboi

Updated: October 23, 2012 5:32 p.m. (ET)
by Southern Conference

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Paul Katam, Paul Chelimo and Abraham Kemboi all have unique stories but have a few things in common: they are all nationally-recognized runners from Kenya and all are on athletic scholarships at UNCG, chasing their dreams of becoming health care professionals in their homeland.

Paul Chelimo is in public health, majoring in pre-nursing. Last semester, he earned a 4.0, and his goal is to try to improve health standards in Africa. At the 2011 Cross Country Nationals, Chelimo became UNCG's first All-American runner. He earned All-America honors at the Indoor Track & Field Nationals as well.

Paul Katam is a sophomore on the cross country and track & field team. He's an Academic All-American, majoring in pre-nursing. Last spring, he missed advancing to Nationals by three seconds. He plans to attend graduate school before returning to Kenya to improve the health facilities and to help the people of his homeland.

Abraham Kemboi is a junior runner that plans to attend graduate school to concentrate on infectious diseases, specifically malaria. He then aspires to work with the World Health Organization or a similar group in Africa. This past year, he shaved almost two minutes off his time in the 8,000 meters.

They all originally trained over 7,000 miles away in their homeland of Kenya. UNCG Coach Linh Nguyen, named 2011 SoCon Cross Country Coach of the Year, has helped encourage them to be the best runners they can possibly be. With a UNCG education, their life prospects are radically different.