Joseph Kimani dead at 40

That's not what I said. Most of the time a death by Pneumonia is correlated with individuals that have weak immune systems - ie a young child or an elderly person.

Usually world class athletes do not die of pneumonia in the 21st century. I'm not accusing anyone of anything. However, just saying pneumonia as a cause of death is a bit curious.

Recently, a work colleague traveled to Africa, and when he returned he remarked how unfortunately common place people were dying of AIDS. He specifically mentioned how there were people just laying in the street literal abandoned and left to die.

As a runner it got me thinking, International Elite Athletes party pretty hard regardless of race, sex, creed etc. However, it doesn't take a phd. sociologist to put all this together. And, I've wondered (bc i work in science) if any of the great African Athletes have contracted the disease. I was at a race where a South African coach had expressed frustration and concern with some of the athletes in his camp b/c they refuse to use condoms because it is against their cultural beliefs.

The running world lost a legend, but there's nothing wrong with wondering why a relatively young legend succumbed to pneumonia in this day in age. And, if you lived in the 70s/80s/90s, you know that pneumonia is one of the AIDS related illnesses. Generally, Pneumonia won't kill a model of superior health/fitness.

So, it is certainly a tragedy... But, my scientific curiosity wonders how/why it happened and there's nothing wrong with that. Even if it isn't HIV/AIDS related, there may be some precursor that lead to this and I wondered what it is?

upstate_NYer wrote:

It underscores the conditions and hardships that people in less developed countries face. If I got pneumonia I would go to the hospital, be treated and go home. Unfortunately not everyone has that same luxury, not even some of the fastest runners in history. I can not imagine what it must be like to run Peachtree in 27 minutes. I can imagine what it's like to be 41 years old. I am - and if given the choice between living running 27 flat or making it to 41, I'll take the latter.

What does this mean? I don't think he had a choice.

Pediatric gynecologist wrote:

no one in this day and age is unaware that HIV is responsible for AIDS

Hiv does not cause aids, because every person on earth has hiv in their body - another fact which shows how stupid you are.

Bobbi C wrote:

That's not what I said. Most of the time a death by Pneumonia is correlated with individuals that have weak immune systems - ie a young child or an elderly person.

Usually world class athletes do not die of pneumonia in the 21st century. I'm not accusing anyone of anything. However, just saying pneumonia as a cause of death is a bit curious.

And I think you have a valid concern. I don't think no one is TRYING to accuse or assume that a world class athlete died of Aids but like a normal person who is in the health/science field can wonder or be suspicious. It doesn't take away the athlete's accomplishments or the kind of person he/she was, you're just wondering how could this happen?

From my experience, I've seen first hand young adults dying/died of Aids. One was a high school classmate and another one was a patient in his late twenties. Unfortunately, it was due to their lifestyle...

Whoa guys, we've made a huge speculative jump here in practicing medicine without a license and diagnosing one of the world's best road racers.

Honor Joseph as many of you have done; don't slander him.

, please. I knew him and trained at his KIM camp after he had retired. I'll be the first to say that many retired Kenyans stop running and gain quite a bit of weight. Many do like their Tusker beer and it's motto: My Country, M Beer. However, Joseph looked healthy in 2000.

I can find out the story and then I can find out if I can tell you.

Google up Benson Masya for more on AIDS and running.

As big a fan as I am of Kimani, its entirely possible it was HIV related. We will never know since most HIV deaths in Africa are announced as deaths from other diseases.

It doesn't really matter..its sad any way you look at it. I've had the pleasure of seeing him run and it was amazing.

OK, maybe he had AIDS, but we have no reason to think that. He lived in Africa, was in his 40s, and could've gotten pneumonia from all kinds of places. Everyone's so quick to jump to HIV, but malaria is also linked to pneumonia and just as likely to be the culprit.

I remember in 1996 Joesph & Luke Kipkosgei stay with myself and a bunch of athletes at the Australian Institute of Sport for a month to train. The guy was a champion and a all round great person. Very sad news.

J.R. wrote:

Hiv does not cause aids, because every person on earth has hiv in their body - another fact which shows how stupid you are.

Wow, this is perhaps the best whopper I've seen from J.R. on these boards.

RIP Joseph Kimani

The speculation is understandable, but doesn't serve any good purpose. It's been known by athletes who live or train in the Nyahururu area that Kimani had struggled with alcohol for some time. Regardless of the immediate cause of death, it's very likely that struggle was a contributing factor. He was a great champion. Truly tragic that he passed so young.

This information about Joseph Kimani is misleading

Please verify information validity before circulating. Joseph Kimani is my brother-in-law. His son is named after my father. He didn't die because of pneumonia.

Thank you for saying the fact

Gatitu wrote:

Please verify information validity before circulating. Joseph Kimani is my brother-in-law. His son is named after my father. He didn't die because of pneumonia.

What then?

Psyshciatric warden wrote:

J.R. wrote:

Hiv does not cause aids, because every person on earth has hiv in their body - another fact which shows how stupid you are.

Wow, this is perhaps the best whopper I've seen from J.R. on these boards.

Not sure. He has posted plenty of others. Related to this specific post, Nobel Prize winning biochemist Kary Mullis, who invented the polymerase chain reaction has stated that the HIV virus is not related to AIDS. Mullis has also claimed a lot of other nutty sounding stuff so I would say that expertise in one scientific field does not necessarily translate into another.

So JR has HIV. No wonder he's demented. It does attack the brain.

Psyshciatric warden wrote:

J.R. wrote:

Hiv does not cause aids, because every person on earth has hiv in their body - another fact which shows how stupid you are.

Wow, this is perhaps the best whopper I've seen from J.R. on these boards.

I know this thread is 5 yrs old and is about Kimani dying, but it just occurred to me that I have not seen J.R. post on Letsrun in quite a while. Am I out of the loop or has he left us? Or has he started posting under a different handle? He had a really specific way of being annoying and a unique way of being stupid, so I think I would recognize both if he was still posting under a different name.

I hope he has died, or at least taken up a different hobby to troll.

Any videos of Kimani in his prime?