Kipchoge -"80 per cent of athletes drink alcohol so a lot needs to be done."

add in:

religion

conservatism

nationalism

political bias

I'm an athlete who has struggled with alcohol addiction. A lot can be inferred from Eliud's comments, and without hearing him elaborate, I won't speculate on what he meant. But I will say with 100% certainty I do not think you can be the best athlete you can be with alcohol in your life. I would also argue that I don't think you can be the best version of yourself either. Alcohol is poison, it is mind-altering, it affects how we treat others, and it impairs judgment. It's a lot easier to recognize and acknowledge these revelations after giving up drinking.

Precious Roy wrote:

I don't think that Kipchoge is saying that athletes should abstain from alcohol. I think he is seeing a lot for Kenyan pro runners getting swept up by the money and status that comes with going from someone whose future would be either a potato farmer or prison guard to having enough money to buy a farm and be financially independent for life. Most agents and managers in Kenya do not care whether their athletes have a long career as there is always going to be another 13 flat 5k runner coming up every year. So, a lot of young runners go out and party and drink too much. They become alcoholics and then get tossed aside by their managers and agents when their performance suffers.

Im pretty sure this is exactly what he is talking about. He has probably seen dozens, if not hundreds, of talented young runners get kicked out of training camps and throw away their careers because of their affinity for booze. And lest anyone say this is specific to African runners, how many American collegiate runners choose partying over running and quit, or get kicked off, their team before their freshman year is over?

TMADDDHASFNE wrote:

I don’t drink and don’t judge those that do, however those that can’t drink responsibility should seek help.

The worst addictions in America are:

Sugar

Alcohol

Prescription drugs

coffee

Pornography

Nicotine

Hemp

Illicit drugs

Cellphones

Television

Video games

Ignorance

Atheism

Hemp is not an addiction... If you meant Marijuana.... it is not a physical addiction, some become dependent. Hemp however has no physical or mental dependence. You lost all credibility there

I would agree with El Keniano about addiction and alcoholism being worse here in the United States.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

… and the murderous , misogynistic dictats of an invisible sky dictator in his story book (written by unverified humans). A terrible addiction against rational thought, logic, reason and joined up thinking. SAD

This is an amazing post, thanks TMADDDHASFNE, haven’t laughed from letsrun in awhile.

The nation is the most credible and actually makes sense. Kipchoge speaks solid English so the proper sentences fit best.

You had me until Atheism...

If atheism were truly an addiction, this country would be immensely improved.

This is the most important thing he said:

"Bad characters, people who do not have values are inside our sport. They pretend to be coaches. They pretend to be advisers and consultants. They pretend to be everything by they have an ill motive," a visibly angry Kipchoge said.

Eliud is one of the few with the gravitas and moral standing to call out these vultures. Do not ease the pressure until they're out of the country for good.

Very few of you pay attention to what is going on in Africa and it shows. You'd be shocked at the number of former sportsman living in destitute conditions. Just this week there was a picture posted in a Kenyan running group showing a former world's best steeper; you wouldn't recognize him.

Then there are the obvious ones: kiprop, rudisha, and let us not forget those injured by car crashes or hit by drivers while impaired. Or thrown off balconies and murdered....

My point, Kipchoge is speaking on the plight of those around him. He's absolutely correct in his statement.

No need to get triggered because you like to get your buzz on occasionally.

What’s his opinion on the shtcoins ie cryptoturd?

he is definitely speaking on his native country. it is what he knows. athletics do not have the same problem in the USA, because track and field is small time here.

that's not to say we don't have problems here.

Why did you leave running out of this?

A lot of people are really obsessed, they run 100 mile weeks wasting time that could be used for work or family, all that to BQ and spend a lot of money to travel to Boston and buy a stupid jacket. They also ruin their joints by overuse unless they manage to tune the amount of running down to a sensible level in a few years.

I'd say that harm done by running addiction would easily beat atheism or coffee (anyone ever heard of a marriage ruined by a coffee addiction?) And running is probably more addictive than ignorance or cellphones (unless you mean social media on smartphones, that's addictive all right)

When I was in military rehab I was good friends with a Kenyan dude. I had no idea those guys even drank or particularly enjoyed alcohol, so he kind of stuck out to me. Most other Africans from different regions even african Americans werent as heavy into the booze like myself and the white guys.

Imagine how fast they'd run if they didn't drink.

You’ve obviously never been around a hemp head. Sure they may be good at surfing, but do you want them running Chernobyl?