Why Kenyan endurance runners rule the world

They are the world’s No.1 endurance running nation, but why are the Kenyans so damn good? spikesmag.com puts forward its theories in the first of a three-part series which focuses on Kenyan athletics.

Much of the post-Olympic talk was centered, quite rightly, on the domination of those amazing Jamaican sprinters. From an island of just 2.7 million their success was truly dazzling. Six gold medals and 11 medals in total in Beijing was a staggering haul for a nation of that size.

Yet for Jamaica to come close to matching the achievements of the East African nation of Kenya they would need to go on to repeat their Beijing glory for the next five or six Olympic Games – no straight forward task in the hyper-competitive world of sprinting.

For Kenya are to endurance running what Jamaica are to sprinting but have, so far, found an even more successful, long-lasting formula for success than those amazing Caribbean islanders.

Remember, Beijing also served up a glut of 14 Kenyan medals, including five gold led by Wilfred Bungei (800m), Samuel Wanjiru (marathon) and Brimin Kipruto (steeplechase) and, crucially, backed by their first two female Olympic champions in Pamela Jelimo (800m) and Nancy Lagat (1500m).

Even more remarkably almost three quarters of all of Kenya’s athletics medals have come from one tribe – the Kalenjins – who live in the Kenyan Highlands.

The Kalenjins compose a little over one tenth of the Kenyan population and just 1/2000ths of the world population. Yet their success is dizzying.

From Kip Keino to Henry Rono through to Wilson Kipketer and Paul Terget as well as reigning Olympic 800m champions Wilfred Bungei and Pamela Jelimo – all are bound by Kalenjin blood.

spikesmag.com lists seven reasons why the Kalenjins also known as the ‘Running Tribe’ are so good:

Born at altitude
The most common reason put forward for the Kenyan and, more particularly, Kalenjin dominance of global distance running. Certainly, being born and living at the thin air at around 2000m helps. Athletes find themselves stronger, particularly when returning to the abundant oxygen at sea level.

Kenyans run to school
This is true of many Kenyans. Most have an incredible base of running from their younger days. Some could run up to 30 to 40km a day!

Diet
The carbohydrate rich Kenyan diet supported by many sports scientists might play its part. Even when competing in the West the Kalenjins prefer to eat their starchy diet of ugali.

Money
The riches gained from a successful track and field career remain a huge incentive for many Kenyans. Although far from the poorest African nation, an average annual wage of $580 USD means life is tough in Kenyan. A farm often costs around $20,000 USD and will set an athlete for life.

Landscape
A land of beautiful rolling hills is perfect for running. Warm days followed by cool nights and low humidity provide the ideal blend. It is also argued that compared with many African nations malnutrition is rare in Kenya with life expectancy and literacy among the highest.

Training regime
While the training of an elite athlete may not differ hugely the Kenyan style has some unique aspects. It combines huge mileage with massive intensity. A training level which not every athlete can cope with.

Genetics
This fascinating theory was put forward by the esteemed writer and expert on Kenyan running, John Manners. He proposes that although most Kalenjins are farmers their traditional livelihood is from herding or long-distance cattle rustling. The fastest runners brought home the stolen livestock and the slowest were caught and killed – so evolved the genetic pre-disposition to run.

Tomorrow, in part 2 of our series profiling Kenyan athletics, we focus on Olympic 800m champion Wilfred Bungei’s journey to the top.