Wavelight lights up Nakuru: Ben McGrath and Jai Shah on bringing pacing tech and Athletic.net to Kenya’s running culture

A Wavelight time trial at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru, Kenya (altitude approximately 5,949 ft) on Friday, August 14, brought together young track and field athletes from Iten - the high-altitude town known as Kenya’s “Home of Champions” - for what was the first such session filmed and conducted with the technology in East Africa.

Ben McGrath - Athletic Engagement Director and PA & Broadcast Announcer at RunnerSpace, and Sales and Event Operator at Wavelight Technologies - and Jai Shah, Regional African Partner at Wavelight Africa, were on the ground.

Beyond the lights themselves, the pair are helping introduce Athletic.net, the results and athlete-database platform (part of the RunnerSpace family), to Kenyan athletics.

The goal is structured results, free video and profile access, and better pathways for athletes from youth level through to the professionals.

Sports News Blitz sub-editor Nicole Powell sat down with them after the session.

Q1: What would you say has been the biggest challenge putting this together?

Ben McGrath (RunnerSpace): “I think the biggest challenge was just the communication with everyone. So many people came together today to make this happen. We had such a good team. And just to bring everyone together into the same space at the same time took a lot of hard work. But it was a great team, and we got it done.”

Jai Shah (Wavelight): “On my side, I don’t think there was such a great challenge because all the people who are here have a great love for athletics.

“Whenever I mentioned this kind of project of doing a time trial with a Wavelight here in Nakuru, everyone was like, ‘Yes, yes, yes, we have to do something!’ You could see there was a lot of excitement from everyone, but no one knew what to expect.

“And now that we’re here, it’s such a wholesome moment for all of us to be able to have Wavelight at a training session for the first time. I think this is the first training session or time trial in East Africa that’s ever been filmed and done with the Wavelight.

“It’s also great to see Brian Kiptoo [athlete] and his team travel all the way from Iten - that’s a commitment out of training just to come see this. So I don’t think it was too big of a struggle to convince people to get here.”

Q2: What kind of stories are you hoping people take away from this?

Ben McGrath: “I want people to see the fun and the culture that we had here today. There were a lot of people who were just watching the meet, and then they came and ran on their own and used the Wavelight.

“I want people to realise the true running culture here - not only see the fast times and the great performances, but just to see the people and the fun that makes Kenya running, Kenya running.”

Jai Shah: “One of the biggest goals for Wavelight Africa is to not just have it for the elites to run and train on. It’s also to have fun. It’s also about bringing the message that Africa can have the same things.

“We do have the fastest runners in the world. We might not have the infrastructure, but we’re heading in the right direction.

“Starting with Wavelight and Athletic.net, we’re bringing these resources to Kenya so it can match the level of athletics that we have here. That’s the mission for the next 10 years - to build the infrastructure for Kenya’s athletics for the future.”

Ben McGrath: “Athletic.net provides results and structure from the youth to the pros. So any running, whether it’s cross-country, a road race, or track and field, Athletic.net can bring organisation and results to everyone who runs.

“And I think that’s part of the beauty of why we want to bring it here. It’s because everyone - the kids, the pros - they deserve all the top-notch results, and that’s what we’re trying to bring here.”

Jai Shah: “The benefit of having Athletic.net here is it’s a results and database structure for athletes. Any athlete that goes to races has their profile automatically uploaded with their birthdate, the official time that they run, and a video.

“So in terms of coaches, athletes, or even parents, they can go and watch these videos, free of cost. They can make a free account to join.

“A big thing that the US look for is recruiting, from Kenya especially. And there’s a lot of Kenyans who do run, but there’s not a big structure. Any race that is run through Athletics Kenya trials, schools or wherever, their profile will go up, and athletes can contact the coaches through the website.

“So it’s just a structure for everyone to have their results, their videos, recruitment - anything - for free. Anyone can do it.”

Q3: What is the most exciting thing about working on projects in Africa?

Jai Shah: “I think the most exciting thing is that just no one’s done it. It’s a new thing for everyone, and we saw it at the Absa Kip Keino Classic, where you didn’t have to be a runner.

“Whoever was there, even spectators, were excited to see what new is coming here, and what opportunities Kenyans and East Africans can have with this technology and everything we’re bringing.

“The best part about it is that it’s new. We can do whatever we want with it, structure it differently from the rest of the world, and that’s the goal.”

Ben McGrath: “I think for me it’s the people. This is my third day in Kenya, and Africa in general, and I’ve already met so many cool people. So just to meet those people and make these connections has been a highlight of my life, honestly.”

Jai Shah: “I think it’s just the interest and the passion from everyone’s love for athletics which is bringing us together. Half of the people here I hadn’t met till this morning, and yet we are working and functioning together, and it’s all because of the love of athletics and sports.”

Ben McGrath: “It’s even how we [Ben and Jai] met. We met in college a few years ago, and I think the first time I texted him I said, ‘Do you like running?’ or something like that.”

Jai Shah: “He was like, ‘Do you like sports?’ and I was like, ‘I like sports.’ We’re still friends, and it’s what is keeping us together right now.”

Q4: Is this the start of more projects in Africa?

Jai Shah: “Wavelight only launched in Kenya at the Absa Kip Keino Classic in April 2026, and it’s the first time there’s been a rental system in the whole of East Africa. So it’s actually very new and the beginning of our project.”

Ben McGrath: “And for Athletic.net this is the first properly structured event. This is the start of the network, and the more events we go to, the bigger the network grows.”

Q5: What’s been the biggest hurdle with bringing your technology to Kenya?

Jai Shah: “Initially, the biggest hurdle was convincing people here why it’s important to have it here, and the benefits of having it in pretty much the fastest distance country in the world.

“It was a long process getting it here, but once we talked to Athletics Kenya and the teams, and they knew what Wavelight was as well as the benefits it would bring, it was a no-brainer.

“It took a while, but at least people are seeing the actual results and the benefits and the excitement from an athlete, coach, spectator, and even a parent’s perspective.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: A first in Africa: Nairobi, Kenya, to host 2029 World Athletics Championships

Q6: Are you happy with the Nakuru Wavelight time trial?

Ben McGrath: “I’m over the moon. I’m excited about how it went. I think a lot of people had so much fun. I personally had a blast! It was so fun, planning and putting this together. The athletes’ times were also wicked fast, so it was great all round.”

Jai Shah: “I’m blown away by how fast they ran. One thing I loved about today is that it wasn’t just the time trial guys running.

“We all took a chance to race the Wavelight. And seeing the time that they set at 1:14:30 for a 600m is unbelievably fast. We tried to do it, and we could barely keep up for 100m, yet they did that six times more.

“It was such a fun experience. I’m so happy that everyone came out, travelled from Iten and Nairobi. Everyone’s come together just for this, and I’m so happy over how it came to be.

“I also loved the welcome that they gave Ben [McGrath] and Miles [Freightman] from the US, and how the love of athletics here couldn’t have shone better.”

READ NEXT: NFL news: Five takeaways from San Francisco 49ers’ win over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne