Eldoret - Iten Vs the World

Thanks Renato. Fascinating look at Kalenjin superiority!

Wonder if it is similar in Ethiopia with all their top runners concentrated into one specific area and tribal group?

Do people from other areas just don't try?

I believe practically all Ethiopian runners are Oromo.

Dude, no one is surprised at the number of medals Kenya won.

We're currently working on editing a film exploring some of these same issues. More info soon but check out some photos from Iten, Eldoret, and some of the rural areas runners come from.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Where-Dreams-Dont-Fade/202258523146183

How about schools. Are they building more schools in that area so the kids dont have to run so much? How much weight do you give to the "running 10K roundtrip to school everyday" explanation?

Also are you saying Nairobi is too smoggy to train?

Renato Canova wrote:Next year in Eldoret we can have a new track in tartan, and this is a good step for the possibility to train also during the rain season (never long as this year : are 45 days that every day there is rain, and the roads and the track are full of mud

this will make a huge difference

it will mean they can do "proper", uninterrupted speedwork anytime they choose

"proper" meaning quality reps of 200/300/400 in whatever number of reps & rest interval you or other coaches choose

speed has been bane of kenya

this coud turn 1'43 guys into 1'42, 3'31 into 3'29, 3'30 into 3'28, 13'00 into sub-12'55, 12'55 into sub-12'50, 27'00 into sub-26'50 & 26'50 into sub-26'40

it coud get them a bronze in 5 or 10k

Maybe Renato will confirm that the myth about Kenyans running to and from school is generally untrue. Because most Kenyan runners do not run to and from school. They may run part of the distance if they are late, but it is not systematic, and as most primary and secondary schools are within a one mile radius from the homes of the kids, they do not need to run to school to save time.

One other thing - there is very little systematic training from a young age in Kenya. If you go to the Athletics tracks in Eldoret and Iten, you almost never see kids training - the athletes who train at the track are all 17 years + this is different, curiously from Ethiopia, in Assella, where Gebreselassie is from, where you see young athletes training alongside the older runners.

Ghost in Saudi,

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today

they also need a quality multigym where they can bench & legpress on machines to build muscle = speed

do they have one there ?

I remember some British reporter asking Paul Tergat this and said he NEVER ran to school because 1.) It was less than a kilometre away and 2.) When late, his dad would drop him off in his car (that's right, automobile, motorcar, vehicle). Point is, Tergat never ran to school because he had no reason to.

Renato did you sign Mary Keitany up for Portugal Half Marathon? She should try running Great North Run instead.

ventolin^3 wrote:

they also need a quality multigym where they can bench & legpress on machines to build muscle = speed

do they have one there ?

I sincerely hope that's a joke about the machines, but yes, Lorna Kiplagat's High Altitude Training Centre has a gym (and a pool). Foreign athletes stay there on training camps.

Africans know that free weights rule. Here's Kaki at work...

eurodonkey wrote:I sincerely hope that's a joke about the machines

eh ?

only an idiot woud believe kennster just got those thunder-thighs from genetics

ventolin^3 wrote:

eurodonkey wrote:I sincerely hope that's a joke about the machines

eh ?

only an idiot woud believe kennster just got those thunder-thighs from genetics

He got his thighs from genetics and running. His thighs aren't really that big. You are looking at him next to Kenyans with very slender legs.

go look at chebbi...

So, if the Kenyans begin to run at 17...in fact they begin at 22 or 23...isnt too old?

Barakus Obama wrote:

So, if the Kenyans begin to run at 17...in fact they begin at 22 or 23...isnt too old?

you're doing it the wrong way... they begin at 12 or 13

Kenya tell us how this is possible?

United States coulda shoulda woulda export Ugali.