David Kimani Dies!!!!!!! No joke.

I never met him, I never saw him run. The closest I ever got to David Kimani was looking at pictures of the NCAA races on the internet. Yet, hearing all these nice words and reading all these amazing posts makes me want to be a better person. To know that someone existed, even for only 25 years, who took time out of his amazing and championship-filled life to ask people over 7 minutes behind him in a 5k how they were doing and give them training tips and racing tips does the heart good. It proves that even in a world as messed up as ours is, there are still decent people here, people who make life all worth it, who make up for all the bad things. I have church tonight, it's Holy Thursday, and I know I'll be praying for David because he deserves it. From what everyone is saying, he was a special person, one of those people who comes along once in a long long time. He should be praised it seems not only for his running and his great accomplishments but also, as everyone has been doing, for his great person. He will be missed by us all I am sure, even us who never knew him. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories, and thank you David, for making this world a place worth living.

I can't say that I knew David personally, but I followed his running throughout his career. All I can say is he was one of the greatest competitors that I have ever seen. My heart goes out to his friends, family, and teammates. David....you will be missed!

I didn't know Kimani but I will never forget seeing him run at Alabama Relays his first year at S. Alabama. If my memory is correct, he was running the anchor leg of the Distance Medley. His team got behind and in his excitemnt to catch up, he ran down the track to take the baton before the exchange. He simply hammered that anchor leg and brought down the house by catching the lead team (Alabama, I think) on the last lap. I think that he ran like 3:54. They announced that his team had been disqualified but he simply smiled and shook hands with everyone around him. I was impressed.

It seemed like he struggled with injuries during his career but when he was healthy and fit, he was unbelieveable.

I was lucky enough to see and meet David at indoor Nationals. To see David run was to see greatness in motion. Few runners can claim the heart that David had on and off the track. I'll always remember him falling HARD in the SEC mile Championship with 5 laps to go. He laid on the track for a few seconds stunned, looked down the track at the pack swiftly pulling away to a 70 meter gap then got up slowly and began jogging (I thought he was just going to try to finish). By the time he hit the backstretch, man he was wheeling! The fire in his eyes was intense as he ate up ground on the pack. With 2 laps to go he caught the main pack. He outkicked everyone for the win! Amazing! The next time you race and you're hurting, try to dig down to that place inside heart that David seemed to be able to go to all the time! It's truly a sad day for all runners! A Great One leaves us! Our thoughts are with you, keep running David!

I also witnessed that amazing performance in the DMR at the alabama relays. In that race he caught tim broe who had a huge lead. The day before he ran the 5k in 13:24 and it must of been 90 degrees and second place was about 45 seconds back. I heard his coach from Kenya came to see him run that day for the first time in the states, and Kimani made sure to make him proud.

This is going to set zionism back a bit. They spent a fortune getting Kimani over here in america and making sure he had plenty supplies of drugs and money to beat whitey. Sad.

I'll be the first (maybe?) to say that history says when a 'healthy' athlete just collapses, then there is a good possibility of illegal drug use.

If nothing shows up, then I will be the first to apologize with a pasted copy of this post and will state how wrong I am...but until then, how can I not suspect it?

You guys just don't understand how much David means to all these people that posted on this website. He was more than a runner. All you see is "Kimani"...if you got to know "David" you would be disgusted that someone would make statements like you just did. David, like many Kenyans, came to America to get an education. He didn't come here just to run. Who would want to do distance training in America when you can get 10 times the training with better athletes by staying in Kenya? Plus, David was hurt with a stress fracture for a long time. Any kind of drug would have done him no good if he wasn't training. But I don't want to drop down to your level. I will always remember the David who always put his friends and teammates before running. We miss you David...

We've lost a young man who had a promising future. May your soul rest in eternal glory. Kimani I shall your great inspiration and advices that we always shared together.

When I was a sophmore at a small DII school in Alabama, we ran the Auburn Bank Invite, David ran a 24:16 as a freshman. I knew when he beat the closest guy by 15 secs, that he was going to be something special him after the race. To this day that was the best XC race I have ever ran in. Then when I ran the Alabama Relays later in the Spring, I finally go to see him in action on the track. What a awesome runner. I always heard stories from guys that I ran against in high school of his workout intensity(4:20 mile repeats) and on the oposite end that he was the biggest team player and ALWAYS was humble off the track The running world lost something special and the people need to quit with the drug use comments. It is an insult to his family, his Alabama Team mates, his Legacy (that he will surely leave), and to yourselves. I will thank God every morning from now on that he has gave me the ability to run. Rest in Peace David, you will be missed

They say running is like life:

In the NCAA Title X-C race, Kimani was right there, then he died.

In the race that we call life, Kimani was right there, then he croaked.

-RunnerMan

A former teammate just called me out of the blue asking me if the "rumor" was true that David Kimani died. I had heard he had cardiovascular problems...but that he DIED??? Well, I just found out 15 minutes ago...

WOw. I am in shock. That is terrible, very terrible. I never talked to him personally but I have seen him in innumerable races, since he is in the same conference. He always seemed like a very nice guy. I remember him very well winning the NCAA XC title at Indiana in 99 when he beat Mike Power. So many years of competing with somebody at the same XC and T&F meets and then...BOOM!... the person is dead. Wow..... Hard to comprehend....

There you can see how quickly it can be over, just from one day to another. That makes me put things more into perspective again. We should seize life more, not get upset at bad workouts, bad races, bad grades, final exam stress, etc...what is that all? Nothing. Completely unimportant, little stupid things which do not go quite as we want them to go. But you know? We are still super, super fortunate to just be alive, have food on the table, have shelter, have enough financial stability to live well.... not very many are that fortunate, a lot less than you would think....

So....PLEASE.... APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE!!!!!!!

Lilli

Reading praise from all the people who never even met David makes me feel all the more blessed to not only have met him, but to have been in his company for an afternoon at the 2001 Alabama Relays. As anyone who runs in the south knows, kenyans abound on many of the teams, and most meets turn into kenyan powwows of a sort. I had followed Kimani's success since his win as a freshman at XC nationals, and naturally, I eagerly followed the kenyans on my team up to the top of the stands where David was sitting with a group of people. I was in awe of this runner who was so far above what I had ever dreamed of accomplishing. Yet, he was jovial and not at all arrogant. I was suprised at how approachable he was, and I even got to share lunch with him and the other kenyans at a fast-food chicken restaurant across the street from the track. Somebody already mentioned how they couldn't believe a runner who was so fast could walk so slow. That's exactly what I thought as we walked from the track to a place just across the street. Whether it was from acknowledging the multitude of acquaintances who greeted David, or simply from enjoying a leisurely walk, as he did all things in life, Kimani did walk exceedingly slow. I didn't mind at all though, as just being in the presence of this joyful person imparted upon me, if only for a short time, a great appreciation for life.

Later, we were in our hotel room awaiting a call, as the kenyans on the team were heading over to Kimani's place for dinner, and I once again hoped to tag along. It was about 10 PM and they informed me that kenyan dinners start late as it takes a while to prepare the meat. Eventually, I left due to tiredness and because I was running in the 4x15 the next day. Due to my extreme bad luck, no sooner had I left than David arrived to get the kenyans and take them to his house. Well, several of my teammates had planned to throw water on me as a prank, and upon hearing that I was in the kenyans' room, they charged in soaking everything in sight, including Kimani! I heard about this the next morning and couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of an NCAA champion being drenched with water that was intended for me. I was even able to talk to David about it and share a laugh with him over the incident. He was so cheerful and good-natured about it. He laughed off my apology and called it a "good joke."

I can't believe he's gone, but we will hold in our hearts forever the memory of him and his smiling face.

We love you David, and we won't ever forget you.

Its been over a week now since Kimani's sudden death. Has there been any word to the cause of death?

Just because someone is a great athlete and you are jealous of that talent and determination... gives you no right to dare suggest some one is on drugs.

He passed numerous drug tests, and well, he simply worked harder and is more dedicated than those that he beat.

Close your mouth you jealous and evil person.