KENYA'S Ken Samoei is still looking for his first road-race victory in Bermuda, but he is getting closer with each event.

The 24-year-old, who is a college buddy of Bermuda's Chayce Smith, is back on the island this week with the intention of competing in his third local race this Sunday in the IAS Beach to Beach 5K.

That testing multi-terrain route is likely to find Samoei in his element, considering he normally lives high in the hills of Kenya, many thousands of metres above sea level.

Living in the rarefied air of high altitude forces the body, particularly the lungs, to adapt and become highly efficient. When a high altitude athlete comes down to sea-level he is usually much better equipped to scoop up and use more oxygen as he runs.

Samoei has made a name for himself on the US collegiate track and field circuit, and has so far entered two races in Bermuda. The first was in January when he came third in the Fairmont to Fairmont road race, behind Chris Estwanik and Lamont Marshall.

It was Estwanik who again beat him in last Sunday's Lindo's-to-Lindo's 10K when he ran 31 minutes 28 seconds, with Samoei second in 33.37.

The prospect of a 5K race that starts on Horseshoe Bay Beach and runs through sand and up the hill to Warwick Camp before following the road verge to Astwood Park and turning around to retrace the route appears to be one that will give Samoei a good chance of claiming his first Bermuda victory.

There are unlikely to be any personal bests on the IAS course ¿ it is notoriously tough and even Jay Donawa, who won the inaugural beach race last year, found himself around three minutes slower than he would normally expect to run the 3.1 miles.

The distance is perfect for Samoei as he specialises as a 5,000m athlete and has a track best of 14.40. Samoei said he had met Chayce Smith when they started at St. Augustine's College in North Carolina. Both are keen runners ¿ Smith was third overall in last week's Lindo's race.

"I met him two years ago when we came to the college and we were included in the cross country team," said Samoei, who is half-way through a four-year course.

The Kenyan also has a brother who is studying in the US at a university in Texas.

Although far away from his African homeland, Samoei stays in touch with what is going on. Concerns were heightened at the start of the year after violence broke out Kenya in the wake of the elections. Thankfully, the troubles did not affected the area of the country where Samoei's family live.

"They weren't affected. We were in a safe place," he said.

While at college pursuing his degree-level education, Samoei admits he is not training as hard as he could because of the constraints of the academic timetable, but that has not stopped him posting a string of impressive results in distances up to 10K.

However, in the Lindo's race he was always trailing former US international Estwanik.

"He was ahead all of the time. The race did not go the way that I wanted. I wanted to be close to him," said Samoei, who is being hosted on the island by his friend Smith.

He added: "I love to run here. It is a nice place to compete and when you find a lot of people standing out on the road supporting the runners that's good."

Sunday's IAS Beach to Beach 5K starts at 9.30 a.m., and a walk on the same route starts half-an-hour earlier. The race is raising proceeds for the Coalition for the Protection of Children.

There are no entries on the day. Number pick up is today at Cathedral Hall in Church Street from 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m.