Strathmore University Vice-Chancellor Dr Vincent Ogutu is trending after a video of him showing off his running medals and telling students to "do hard things" was shared widely from the university's official pages.

The university posted the video on its official Facebook and Instagram pages on Wednesday 5 November 2026. By Friday it had drawn more than 1,000 likes on Facebook and 1,400 likes on Instagram, with the clip reshared across social media on Thursday and Friday.

In the video, Ogutu stands on a grassy lawn in a dark suit, white shirt and red patterned tie, holding a large collection of running medals. He talks about his passion for people, and for promoting health through running, music and learning languages — he says he is currently learning Kikuyu. Then he walks through the medals: the Strathmore Annual Run for scholarships, an Intertown relay, a girls' school fundraiser, the 88-kilometre Nairobi to Naivasha ultra, the 88-kilometre Nairobi to Narok ultra, and the New York City Half Marathon.

His message is simple: do hard things. He explains that finishing an 88-kilometre run made a planned 73-kilometre run feel achievable, and he urges people to start small — even one kilometre — and build up gradually.

The 73-kilometre run is real — and it is coming in December

The run Ogutu talks about in the video is the Kapiyo Ultra Marathon, a 73-kilometre run from Kisumu to Bondo scheduled for Saturday 5 December 2026. It is a fundraiser for Kapiyo Secondary School in Bondo, raising money for facilities and scholarships, with contributions through Paybill 7552019 (Account Name: Kapiyo). Strathmore's alumni office publicised the event on Instagram on Tuesday 4 November, a day before the video went out.

From 200 runners to 2,000

The video landed because Ogutu is not just a vice-chancellor who talks about running — he is the face of the Strathmore Annual Run, the university's scholarship fundraiser.

The VC Run began during Covid, after a Strathmore Foundation tweet, and it has grown every year. At the end of the 2025 run, Ogutu told runners: "So the first VC run, there were 200 people. 200, just let that sink in. And now we have 2,000. 2,000. Ten times bigger than just five years ago. And somebody was telling me, don't be surprised to see 6,000 next year."

He also explained what the run is for: "Right now, we're doing it for Strathmore scholarships. We would want anybody who deserves to come to Strathmore to come to Strathmore. Money should never be the issue."

That is not a small promise. Nearly 15 percent of Strathmore's student body receives some form of financial support, according to Citizen Digital, and Ogutu himself grew up on scholarships — he has said he got an almost full ride to secondary school.

The 2026 Annual Run was held on Friday 5 September 2026, and Ogutu ran the 21-kilometre distance. Capital FM, which covered the run, quoted him afterwards: "Today was actually tough and it was a solid 21k. We earned it, did it for the scholarship students and that's what kept us going during the tough moments."

He first ran 21 kilometres at the 2025 VC Run, after students challenged him to move up from 10 kilometres. In the same post-run address in 2025, he tied running to everything else a student does: "You can use it for your studies, for your work. The fact that you're used to setting targets, going for them, working hard, getting the reward, setting the next bar. That's an attitude. And it'll get you places. So running will actually make you succeed in life."

What it means for students

Ogutu became Strathmore's second Vice-Chancellor on 30 March 2023, taking over from Prof John Odhiambo. Three years on, the run he started has become one of the university's most visible scholarship engines — and this week's video is the clearest version yet of the pitch behind it: scholarships are the point, the running is how you get there, and the hard part is starting.

For students watching the video, the practical bit is the Kapiyo Ultra on 5 December. It is open to runners and supporters, it raises money for a school in Bondo, and it is the next date on the calendar after the Annual Run.

Sources: Strathmore University official Facebook, reel "Medal Week" video of Dr Vincent Ogutu, posted 5 November 2026. Strathmore University official Instagram (@strathmore.university), reel of Dr Vincent Ogutu, posted 5 November 2026. Strathmore Alumni Instagram (@strathmore.alumni), Kapiyo Ultra Marathon flyer (73km, Kisumu to Bondo, 5 December 2026), posted 4 November 2026. Citizen Digital, "Strathmore VC calls for unity as university's annual run grows tenfold" (published 31 May 2025, updated 6 November 2026). Capital FM, "Strathmore VC Vincent Ogutu: How running has made me a better administrator", 7 September 2026. Strathmore University, "A run for impact".