Why do Kenyans win long distance races? This is a question I and I guess many non-Kenyans have been asking themselves for sometime. This puzzle was enhanced recently when I witnessed two Kenyans Albert Kirui and Emmanuel Mutui taking Gold and Silver respectively in the 42km marathon in the World Athletics Championships that were held in Berlin last week. This led me to do a research based on this phenomenon because these lads are almost unbeatable when it comes to long distance races and one is left to wonder what makes them special in these types of races. There are many theories that has been put forward to explain why the runners of Kenya, particularly that from the Kalenjin tribe, perform phenomenal feats in long-distance running. Kenyans all know that Kenyan running is actually “Kalenjin running.” Kenya has many world class runners and most of them are members of the Kalenjin tribe, an ethnic group that makes up only 10 percent of the total Kenyan population. Members of the Kalenjin tribe live throughout Kenya’s western highlands, in the Great Rift Valley. One of the theories advanced is the climate of these highlands. At 8,000 feet, the highlands provides perfect conditions for altitude training—high enough to boost oxygen-carrying capacity, but not so high that it’s impossible to run quickly. The climate is also ideal for running: It’s seldom colder than 50 degrees or hotter than 80 degrees, it’s never humid, and there are 12 hours of daylight throughout the year. Studies that have been carried out are also showing that Kenyans run faster not only because of the way they train and eat but because they are naturally fast runners. Kip Keino, the most popular Kalenjin runner of all couldn’t agree more when he said that Kenyans are naturally born athletes and that running flows through their blood. According to him, all Kenyans need to do is know how to work on improvement and the technical part of being a fast runner. Keino took the limelight when he defeated legendary Jim Ryun in the 1500 meter run during the 1968 Olympics.Another theory is the diet of these athletes can also add up to their dominance of the athletics competition. Kenyans rely on their agriculturally rich land for food in order to survive and prosper. You would be surprised if you think that their diets are complex and sophisticated. Their meals are very simple, which are primarily based on vegetables, grains and a variety of starches including bread, rice, porridge, potatoes, kidney beans, cabbage and ugali. Ugali is the national dish of Kenya, which is composed of corn meal paste. In Rwanda it is commonly known as kaunga. Carbohydrates compose 86 percent of the diet and the rest is taken from meat (beef). The runners drink 1.2 liters of tea everyday, which they consume on top of 1.1 liters of water. Kenyan athletes also train in a unique way. They train by starting slow then finishing fast. This is different from most distance runners do where they 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. Another important element in Kenyan training is to run the hills. They do several repeat runs on short hills. This increase aerobic activity, leg strength and explosive power. Kenyan Henry Rono, who in 1978 set four world records in less than three months, was once asked on what type of hills he did repeats. They wanted to know how steep, how long, how constant a grade the hill he is training is. “The hill,” Rono replied. “Any hill.” Finally, the method in which Kenyans run during the athletics competitions is also believed to be a contributing factor for the Kenyan athletes’ domination. A close examination on the running form of Kenyan runners is that they lean forward and use gravity to their advantage. Some have concluded that this stance was achieved from the entire running Kenyans do up and down the steep mountains of Kenya. For whatever reasons on how they achieved this, Kenyans utilize this leaning technique fully and use this to their advantage in competitions. The lean is not in the waist but is achieved by relaxing the ankles. Gravity will do its work and cause the body to fall forward. This technique is then mixed with another Kenyan running trait, which is the hop-like foot strikes that cause the body to surge forward at a very fast rate. This leaning technique is a great example of running economy, meaning less effort and energy is required to run. Gravity helps the body pull along thus making the body move faster. No wonder Kenyans run faster and are more durable in distance running. With the technique they use combined with the hard work, it is likely that the Kenyan dominance of the track and field long distance athletic competitions will continue to prevail for a long time. dedantos2002@yahoo.com
