Thr Hard Road Of Kenyan B-Level Runners

definitely worth watching.

Felix ran 2:06:58 last year, so the real deal.

That was awesome, thanks for sharing.

rupp tuneup archetype wrote:

That was awesome, thanks for sharing.

Agreed. Quite a difference between American and European runners. We are SOFT.

Exceptional film making. Thank you so much for this. Impressed by the quality, their handling of the subject matter and the cinematography. Happy for the few like Felix who've "made it. Sad for the rest, including Eunice who clearly had what it takes but for the unrealistic recovery times. You could tell they were all so homesick that none wanted to stay in Germany after the first couple of weeks. Disgusted at a lot of stuff including what these runners have to go through to lift their families out of poverty.

As for that Volker guy, surely the reason his athletes keep getting poached is because they must be getting better terms elsewhere?

I was aware of some of the struggles athletes such as these face, but I don't think I've ever seen them portrayed in such a beautiful and heartbreaking manner. Thank you sharing.

Up Runner wrote:

Riveting documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDPkizCEa_I

That old kraut is a real slave driver. Nickel and diming those poor people.

Massage scene was a bit creepy, not gonna lie!

perve? wrote:

Massage scene was a bit creepy, not gonna lie!

Definitely. Is he licensed for that? I know muscle stripping effin hurts so I would want to be sure whoever is doing it isn't winging it 😬

And those booty rubs. 😑

Cool insight. This is a good follow-up to the "no one cares about top African runners" (or similarly titled) thread a week ago.

There is obviously a whole rabbit whole you could go down with this topic. I'd be interested in knowing the scene for agents/managers. Was Volker Wagner a shady agent, or a genuine guy? How aware are Kenyan runners of predatory agents? How similar is it to NCAA recruiting?

I also wonder about the athletes, of course. How many are content to run as often as possible for more money, instead of targeting good training and personal bests? If Kenya is better off economically in 10-20 years, will that take away the part of the talent pool that was motivated by opportunity, or expand the opportunity because fewer are tied to working other jobs just to survive.

perve? wrote:

Massage scene was a bit creepy, not gonna lie!

i found the scene pretty disturbing

Of course there are many questions raised in this film, particularly about Wagner. In the aggregate, I think that the transparency of his every move and calculation being shown by the unblinking eye of the camera gives him the benefit of the doubt for having it shown. He has apparently been a pioneer in bringing Africans to the European " market" and made many into well-to-do earners on the scene. It is apparent from the financials that he isn't making much money off the budding athletes like Felix and Eunice, and is vulnerable to poaching by other managers. Pretty raw capitalism in action, which is part of the film's effectiveness for me.

It is not hard to see where PEDS could creep in to all of this. It's just such a dog-eat-dog situation. Almost chilling against the backdrop of poverty and need.

Up Runner wrote:

It is not hard to see where PEDS could creep in to all of this. It's just such a dog-eat-dog situation. Almost chilling against the backdrop of poverty and need.

I hear you but the two high profile PED busts, Rita and Jemima, were already rich. Sometimes it's just plain old greed.

But how heartbreaking was it for Eunice having to travel to another part of the country for her daughter's birthday?

I agree with Clerk that this, the Guardian story and the new Breaking 2 documentary from NatGeo are a very welcome sign. Finally they're starting to portray these runners for the human beings they are and tell their stories.

Up Runner wrote:

Riveting documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDPkizCEa_I

This life is a terrible one. Ode to my good friend John Rotich. Must have suffered a ton in Italy. Never came home with anything to show for it. May God protect his soul - he is never one to give up - and even in his 40s he still hopes to get back into his winning days. Trains like a tireless train that does not know that wear and tear are slowly catching up. Hoping against hope. And if he wins anywhere, of course the whities will say he dopes. But that's if he does win anywhere. Which won't happen.

Damn this life. Hopefully there is another one.

Netflix has an indy film Gun Runners which is very well made and focuses on two runners who made different decisions and the path upon which each ended up. Very good film.

I'm rooting for the east Africans from now on.

Looking forward to watching. Used to live at altitude in southern Mexico. A contingent of decent (but not exactly world class) Kenyans eeked out prize money on the circuit there. Most races of any size have prize money. Rules are lax.

Very nice guys, seemed content but clearly living in the margins.

DANG. That's some real stuff right there.

I didn't leave with a good impression of Volker Wagner.

Maybe he's not doing anything wrong, and probably has enabled opportunities for some Kenyan runners, but just the same, he is clearly interested in short term return on investment, for as long as he can exploit the athletes, rather than long term investment of the development and welfare of athletes. It looks like he still netted more from Eunice, then Eunice did.