First of all, distance running in the west is stagnant, our top 5k and 10k runners are on the whole are no better than our top distance runners were 25 years ago. In the 5k times have stood still and in the 10k in terms of depth times are going backwards. In the UK 30 years ago we had around 6 runners who were all capable of sub 27.50 for 10k, Brendan Foster, Dave Bedford, Dave Black, Tony Simmons, Nick Rose, Bernie Ford. Now we have one, Karl Keska, two if you include Jon Brown. 30 years ago in terms of depth we were the best in the world, there is a similar situation in the States. Maybe because we had the best runners in the world the publicity and attention that goes with that was attractive to the guys on the second tier and third tier and that created ferocious competitiveness in the distance events. This year 1 UK guy broke 28 minutes and only 3 broke 29 minutes. Another reason for this could be the lack of good quality 10k events.
In the seventies the East African presence in the distances were relatively scarce, but those who were around were very good. The huge influx of new athletes from Kenya/Ethiopia and the rest of Africa has virtually monopolised the distance events. They have the same ferocious competitiveness in their national champs and qualifying events that we had 30 years ago. coupled with the advancement in scientific knowledge, equipment and training methods they have left us behind. Whilst we had maybe 10 runners capable of sub 28 they have 100 capable of that time, and that just breeds greater intensity and greater efforts. There is also the fact that as far as the africans are concerned teher was a far greater window of improvement, they only broke into the sport in the late 60's, a sport which we had been competitive in for maybe 100 years, they had a huge amount of catching up to do in terms of knowledge, development etc... and of course they had the added advantage of altitude and the fact taht many belong to teh Masai, a tribe which has hunted on foot for thousands of years, making them arguably genetically predisposed to cover long distances efficiently and disipate heat efficiently.
To the average african the opportunity of success through distance running is very appealling, in a country where the common form of transport is on foot and the average salary about 1000 dollars a year, they do not need much more insentive, in the UK and the US we have become lazy, we walk less, we drive more, we eat more processed food, we spend more time working and we have far more opportunities available to us, aswell as far more disposable income tahn we had 30 years ago. as the disposable income has increased so have our waistelines, our consumtion of junk food, buying of videos and home cinemas and general home comforts. In centuries to come we may see Africas distance running talent decline with the development of better roads, improved infastructure and a more westernized way of life but at the moment everything in our lives makes the prospect of distance running more difficult whilst everything in their lives just contributes to their huge talent. Its no coincidence that as obesity, diabetes andother sedentary illnesses increase our distance runners decline, its all about way of life.
In laymans terms if you picked a guy of the street in an average town in kenya and you picked a guy off the street in Manchester or Chicago or New York there would be only one winner, their starting point is already half way around the bend, we are playing catch up but theer are too many things to our disadvantage.
It is all about opportunity and natural coincoidence. In the same way you don't get too many world championship boxers being born in The Hamptons but lots of them being born in the Bronx you get more succesful distance runners being born in Eldoret than in London. Its only natural. To believe that the Kenyans are only superior because of their drug use is laughable, they are laps ahead of us over 10k, and I certainly don't believe that is due to EPO or anything else artificial.