In East Africa, there is an area know as the Great Rift Valley. It is in this Great Rift Valley, where the world’s most dominant long distance runners come from, Kenya. In the past three decades, runners from Kenya have simply dominated the sport of long distance running in all facets including cross-country, track, and the marathon. In the world rankings for marathon running, Kenyans hold 8 of the top 10 spots for the men and 6 of the top ten spots in women’s rankings. (Entine, Par. 2) But how can one country be so overpowering in a sport that anyone can participate in? There are a number of factors that all work together to make Kenyan runners the best of the best. Rigorous training regimens, the physical geography of Kenya, country and world support of the athletes, genetics and early participation of children are all factors in the study of why Kenyan runners are by far the best long distance runners in the world. To start off, you must look at the physical geography in which the Kenyans train.
Kenya is located in East Africa and is dominated by the Great Rift Valley. A rift valley developed from faulting caused by tension in the earth’s crust. The sides of the valley are usually steep and can be up to 2,000 meters high. The Great Rift Valley gives Kenya areas of great elevation. This elevation equals thinning of the air as you get to higher and higher altitudes, which makes it more difficult to breath, especially when running. This altitude plus the equatorial latitudes creates and ideal climate for sustained outdoor activity – comfortably warm days, cool nights, low humidity. That with the altitude’s aerobic benefits, show how Kenya’s highlands are ideal for distance running.
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Kenya is a country in the continent of Africa, on the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa. This country has land on both sides of the equator. This report is going to tell you all about this fascinating country. Jambo (Hello), and we can begin our safari (journey). “Jambo” and “safari” are Kiswahili words, one of the languages of Kenya. Kenya is about two times the size of ...
It should also be noted that every one of the country’s world-class runners is a highlander. “In an hour and 40 minutes they run more than 15 miles over uneven red clay, dodging small herds of cattle and donkeys laden with sacks of potatoes…The route climbs more that 3,000 feet, from and elevation of slightly more than 6,500 feet at the river to nearly 10,000 at the peak, where oxygen is precious and a cruel wind slices across the face of the hill.” (Layden, par. 2) It is in this environment that the Kenyan runners perform their grueling training regimens. A big factor to the Kenyan dominance in running is their unbelievable training. First of all, they attend camps with other runners, which means they all run together, constantly pushing each other to go harder, longer and faster. This is much different from say, the United States, where long distance running is more of a personal sport.
“Athletes from other countries fear hard training. They run alone, away from others. They are cowards.”–Moses Tanui, Kenya, Third fastest marathoner in history. Moses Tanui runs one of these camps in Kenya, where he hopes to mold young runners into world champions. Most of the camps are located in the highlands of Great Rift Valley, so as to take advantage the ideal training area. “Athletes at Tanui’s Kaptagat camp rise at dawn and run up into a forest of ancient pines and spreading Okun trees, a world so dense and chilled that steam emanates from the sweating runners. Only after 12 miles of brutal uphill running does the sky appear whole and the mountainside fall away into the Great Rift Valley below.”(Layden, par.
16) So you can see what kind of training these Kenyans go through to get to that high level of performance. The camps mentioned before do not just get thrown together. They are funded in some part by the Kenyan runners and also by foreign apparel and shoe companies. Kenyan running camps are one of the reasons why Kenya has great runners. These camps offer a way for aspiring runners and current professionals to get away from all of the distractions of life to just run and train. The camps offer a steady diet and housing, which is often a perk for some of the more impoverished runners. “For as long as three months at a time, while preparing for marathons, this is where many of the runners live, in monastic isolation.
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They sleep two to a room in a one-story concrete barracks with a corrugated metal roof and no electricity or running water. They eat meals cooked over a wood fire in a common room, fall asleep each night amid a black, consuming darkness and awake to roosters from surrounding farms.” (Layden, par. 4) Even runners who live in mansions with luxury automobiles attend these camps to train for upcoming races. It just shows the overwhelming discipline these Kenyan runners have. Shoe and apparel companies that are looking for and want to develop up and coming runners fund most of the running camps in Kenya. These companies then hire current professional runners to run the camps. Currently, Fila, Puma International, and Saucony all have camps in Kenya, with Fila leading the way with six major camps.
Now that we have looked at the physical environment, training regimens and the running camps, let’s now focus on the Kenya’s support of long distance runners and it’s popularity among the youth. In Kenya, the young and old in the country idolize long distance runners. They gain national fame for winning many prestigious races, such as the Boston Marathon and gold medals in the Olympics. Yet, with all of their popularity and fame, these runners are expected to give back to the community, much like you see professional athletes in other countries do. Distance running has become part of the national culture in fact; a runner appears on the back of the country’s 20-shilling note. Most importantly though, is the popularity of the sport amongst the youth in Kenya and how it may contribute to their dominance in the sport.
The young people of Kenya get involved in running at an early age and there are many reasons why running is a great sport for them. The first reason is that any child can start running; it does not cost any money, except maybe for shoes, which aren’t necessarily needed either. Kenyan children see many of the “star runners” training near their homes and want to emulate their success. “They (Kenyan runners) jump wide, washed-out ruts in the roadway, and more than once they are joined by children in school uniforms who run alongside them for 100 meters or more, laughing.” (Tuttle, par. 8) Also, long distance running offers children and young adults financial opportunities that would otherwise not be available. In Kenya, the per capita Gross Domestic Product is ….
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Running Head: Suffrage of Children without Fathers Suffrage of Children without Fathers (Authors Name) (Institution Name) Suffrage of Children without Fathers We shall begin this essay with the shocking fact that nearly 50 percent of American children may in our present times be going to sleep every evening without saying good night to their fathers. The declining factor of fatherhood is amongst ...
