Why is it that when American kids run 14:20 we freak out but when Kenyan Kids run 13 minutes we don't care?

Some of the Kenyans have legitimate ages, but many of the Kenyans on the World Junior cross team have admitted to having their birthdates doctored, and this was talked about in previous threads here, with proof and transcripts.

If there are child runners (pre pubertal is what we are talking about) - then they are training in secret places, because they are never seen in Eldoret, Iten, Kabsabat, Ngong Hills, which happen to be the 4 Kenyan 'hot spots' for producing world class runners.

Besides, why would a child or 10 - 13 need to train with vast mileage and quality, when that would be seriously counter productive for his or her body?

Running is not a 'technique sport' like swimming, gymnastics, soccer, tennis, etc....where early coaching (pre pubertal) is essential for future success. In running, that is simply not so, and the vast majority of super duper 10 - 12 year olds don't make it in the senior ranks.....there were exceptions to this rule, like Jon Dennis, the English athlete who ran well until he reached the ripe age of early twenties and then stopped.....not many others at all. Running is simply too traumatic.

Most athletes have around a 10 year 'window' of opportunity for running their best, so if they start training hard when very young, their ultimate career would be shortened, either by injury, staleness, lack of enthusiasm or cessation of progress. The legs can only take so much.

None, absolutely none of the top Kenyans running today or yesterday were doing anything significant in training when pre puberty.

Ghost in Saudi,

www.kfupm.edu.sa

, apply today.

FormerCoach... wrote:

Ghost you are either clueless or not very bright.

Over 50% of the best kenyan runners do not have a high school education. They may tell you that there are not any juniors in the camp, but there are.

Nothing in Kenya is highly regulated, it is as corrupt as it comes.

Tell me the difference between what you looked like at 18? and what you looked like at 16?

Chris Derrick is almost 21 and if someone told me he was 16 I would believe them.

Alan Webb looked 21 at 17.

Greg Odem looked 40 at 18

Ghost you drink that cool aid they serve at the camps. I bet you donated money to Mayio while you were there too.

Derrick turned 20 just a month and a half ago. So he is not almost 21.

In my opinion wrote:

Sorry, I misunderstood you, but I do disagree with you on the fact that without birth ceritficates you can't compare them. Alot of the African people have parents too, so there ages can't be all that far off.

I am pretty sure that ALL of the "African people" have parents.

Is "In my opinion" the handle you usually use? I want to know so that I can always skip any post I see of yours in the future.

I guess that Christmas break allows unlimited time for idiots who can't spell. Seriously, don't they have English I at your high school?

While I am at it:

Alot is NOT a word.

They're = They are

Their = possessive

There = a place or a direction

You're = You are

Your = possessive

Don't make it so obvious to people who don't know you that you are an illiterate moron.

I am pretty sure that ALL of the "African people" have parents.

Is "In my opinion" the handle you usually use? I want to know so that I can always skip any post I see of yours in the future.

I guess that Christmas break allows unlimited time for idiots who can't spell. Seriously, don't they have English I at your high school?

While I am at it:

Alot is NOT a word.

They're = They are

Their = possessive

There = a place or a direction

You're = You are

Your = possessive

Don't make it so obvious to people who don't know you that you are an illiterate moron.

_________________________________________________________

I find it funny that someone such as yourself sits online all day looking for grammar mistakes. How can you be so sure he is even good at writing English? Maybe he doesn't waste his time all day carefully examining grammar problems with his sentences. This isn't an English class kid. This is called the Internet.

I do, however, agree with you that if he seriously is using his grammar skills like that he would get a D- on a quiz but not everything is School related. I find it very funny that you call him an illiterate moron when you clearly showed your stupidity with that post by actually wasting your time writing it when you don't know anything about that person. Such people like you are a disgrace to human kind. So really, stop being such an annoying person. No one thinks your cool by that post and it just shows your a moron.

Random bump

They are genetically freaked people who have huge air capacities because they live at altitiude and when Kenyans run, THEY RUN.

These claims are not suported by any facts. It's pure fantasies that you made up.

^ I would agree with you now but not then. Once I actually started watching races non-American I liked it a lot more.

thanks to ghost for his informative posts, but I can't believe the claim that kenyan teenagers aren't getting considerable mileage prior to joining running camps. What then would be the criterion for joining the camps? And just because there are schools in a couple of towns within the running capital does not mean that most Kenyan students have a short way to go to school. In nearby Malawi, where I lived for two years, the population is often very low density, spread out in small villages throughout the countryside, and so there is a long distance to travel in many cases, with no mechanical transportation. At secondary schools, students would usually live there (away from home) in the dorms and so have less than a mile to walk every day, but only two percent of the high school age population would be in a secondary school. Many parents could not afford the school fees and there was not nearly enough capacity. There was an incentive to lie about one's age, so as not to be kicked out of school as too old. There also was very little running culture and very few coaches, and so there was no success. What Kenya has is altitude, a running tradition, dirt roads, and a lot of kids running to school, as is confirmed by many anecdotes. So again, how do Kenyan athletes get chosen for the training camps if they have never trained before?

Your Question: Why is it that when American kids run 14:20 we freak out but when Kenyan Kids run 13 minutes we don't care?

My questions? Are they still around? Do they have paved roads? Do they have running water or electricity?

oh, yeah, that's why I don't care.

I think because in here in the USA (i'm not trying to sound like a patriot cause Im not) we use athletic.net I was wondering the same thing so I went on the athletic.net that post the race results in local and national race so i tried to see kenya high school runners time and it showed nothing probably because the main companies aim is to show XC times for japan canada and the US. I took me for ever to find XC times for kenya high school runners because my google browser will only recommend USA cross country times and not other countries.

And by now is he what, 45?! Running 2:02 marathon?

Imagine what goes through the minds of the people who believe this bs

Because we in America unfortunately subconsciously “other” those African kids like we would if someone said that XYZ chimpanzee in a zoo ran a 12’ 5K. We are a pretty racist country even at the world level. If Josh Kerr ran a 12’48”, we would be amazed and go crazy applauding our “human” brother.

Some place have more camaras and reporters ate there races

Sammy Wanjiru is the owner of a 26:41.75 before he was 19. Does it get any better than that ..?!