LEARNING FROM KENYA'S RUNNERS

While runners from other African nations have recently emerged, Kenya has retained supremacy in the 8,000, 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters, the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the marathons. Kenya pocketed 14 medals – five gold, five silver and four bronze – in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, putting it just a few medals short of developed countries like Canada and Spain in the overall medal standings. Female distance runner Pamela Jelimo and Samuel Wanjiru, led the Kenyan charge by winning gold in the women’s 800 meters and the men’s marathon, respectively.

The legendary Kipchoge Keino, who won Olympic and Commonwealth gold medals in the 1970’s, started what has been known as Kenya’s ongoing distance dynasty. Henry Rono, with his successive world record performances was Keino’s worthy successor and defender of Kenya’s titles.

What makes Kenya, whose efforts to combat poverty are made more challenging by the fact that 57 percent of its population live below the poverty line, so successful in distance events? Writer Linus Gitahi says many have studied famous Kenyan runners and even went out of their way to Kenya and learned how to train like Kenyans. 

Kenyans train by starting slow then finishing fast. This is different from most distance runners (who) start at a pace they think they will run for the entire race. But Kenyans are like a pot of boiling water that gets hotter after you start to boil. Kenyan runners finish faster than they started but in a relaxed way.

Gitahi says that for Kenyans, every run has a specific purpose. They don’t run the same track using the same intensity. They can run in easy, average and high speed. Unlike conventional runners who (run) too hard on easy days, Kenyans run easy when it is time to go easy. This low intensity run in between high runs gets them ready to make the next hard workout. Conventional runners run hard all the time and will have residual fatigue in the long run.

Unlike conventional runners, Kenyans do not train alone. During training, Kenyan runners should have at least one running companion. Running with a group gives (one) more discipline and more motivation to run because others will be waiting for you, says Gitahi.

Conventional runners always train on asphalt and cement. Kenyans train on dirt and grass (which reinforces the fact that running is a “cheap” sport not requiring special and expensive facilities). Running on soft ground reduces the risk of injury and feels much better. Gitahi says that “when you feel much better, you can reach your full potential, unlike running with several aches and pains like conventional runners do.”

Gitahi points out the big difference between training in soft ground and asphalt/cement: “(One can see the difference) by using a golf ball. Bounce it off the grass and it will not go up. Bounce it on asphalt and it will spring up. So Kenyans who are used to soft ground will definitely bounce much higher when it comes to running on asphalt.

Gitahi says Kenyan running is “Kalenjin running.” Kenya has many world class runners. Most of them belong to the Kalenjin tribe, an ethnic group that makes up 10 percent of the population. The Kalenjins live throughout Kenya’s western highlands but Kenyan running is centered in Iten, a farming town of 3,000 overlooking the Great Rift Valley. Iten is a magnet for runners who come to Kenya to train.

 Kenya has a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast, temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast. March and May are the rainiest months. There is moderate rain in October and November. The temperature ranges from the mid 40’s Fahrenheit in Eldoret, with a 3,085-meter elevation, to mid-90’s Fahrenheit.