ADP Welcomes Talented New & Familiar Distance Runners
October 19, 2021
The American Distance Project is pleased to welcome a solid and promising group of runners to the training group, as well as two returnees.
US Army Soldier-Athletes 1LT Sam Chelanga, SPC Caroline Sang, and SPC Geoffrey Kipchumba have all been accepted into the US Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), with 1LT Elkanah Kibet returning after a year in regular duty. SGT Sam Kosgei returns to WCAP as an assistant coach to the program.
Chilean Carlos Diaz and Argentinian Fedra Luna also join the American Distance Project, as does Dante August and Makorobondo Salukombo.
1LT Sam Chelanga returns to Colorado Springs after retiring from a professional career as a Nike sponsored athlete and then enlisting and serving active duty in the U.S. Army. When Chelanga was coached by the ADP, he excelled both nationally and internationally winning the 2017 Word’s Best 10k and finishing as the top American at the 2017 World Cross Country Championships. In college, Chelanga was a four-time NCAA champion running for Liberty University, before winning three U.S. championship titles upon obtaining U.S. citizenship. He holds personal bests of 7:45.12 for 3,000m, 13:04.35 for 5,000m, 27:08.38 for 10,000m and 60:37 for the half marathon.
SPC Caroline Sang enters the U.S. Army WCAP alongside her sister SPC Ednah Kurgat, the 2017 NCAA Cross Country champion. Amazingly, Sang, competing for the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, finished sixth in that NCAA championship and holds personal bests of 9:18.19 for 3,000m and 16:02.84 for 5,000m. She recently set a 10-Mile personal best of 55:25 finishing third at the Blue Cross Broad Street Run competing for Fort Carson.
Like Chelanga, SPC Geoffrey Kipchumba also trained under the ADP before enlisting in the U.S. Army and being accepted into the WCAP program. Kipchumba was a nine-time NAIA champion at William Cary College before establishing solid professional marks of 13:51.01 for 5,000m and 28:19.88 for 10,000m.
1LT Elkanah Kibet, who twice represented Team USA at the World Championships in the marathon, returns to WCAP after one year away. Kibet, who served two tours of duty in the Middle East, also represented Team USA in the 10,000m at the 2018 NACAC and holds personal bests of 28:22.31 for 10,000m, 62:29 for the half marathon and 2:11:31 for the marathon. He finished 8th at the 2018 Boston Marathon.
Carlos Diaz, who competes for Nike, is the Chilean National Record Holder for both the 1500m and the 3000m at 3:37.82 and 7:52.95, respectively. Diaz also holds personal bests of 13:36.91 for 5,000m and 28:26.47 for 10,000m.
Fedra Luna joins ADP with personal bests of 2:13.71 for 800m, 4:20.18 for 1500m and 16:02.84 for 5,000m. She was 10th at 5,000m in the 2019 Pan Games and 5th at the South American championships.
Dante August and “Dee” Makorobondo Salukombo, both active duty members of the U.S. Army stationed at Ft. Carson also join ADP. August boasts an 800m personal best of 1:49, while Salukombo has a half marathon best of 64:25 and represented the Democratic Republic of Congo at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in the marathon before joining the U.S. Army and obtaining U.S. citizenship.