Why are Kenyan marathoners so successful?

Well, they probably don't have any junk food over there, and they also probably have to run and walk everywhere. That's my guess.

Not due to doping? I'm not sure of the validity of that thesis..may need work.

I've had trouble trying to find data on this from an admittedly quick google search but is it not likely that there are just a lot more competitive Kenyan runners (per capita and overall) than most other countries in the world? Similar to how New Zealand has a small population but dominates Rugby Union due to a huge number of people that play competitively per capita and overall (obviously there are other factors involved).

A little anecdote - I'm from the UK where running is relatively popular (I think) but there was maybe like 1 person in my School of 900 people that ran as a proper sport. I would guess in Kenya that there would be far more people in a sample of 900 school pupils.

Renato Canova once said, on this message board, that Kenyan children play the way Western children played in the 50's, 60's 70's.

Our children are no longer developing aerobic capacity as little kids- often when they start running they're basically starting from scratch.

You might be able to find that thread.

This has been discussed too often. I'll give you my best description.

And analogy.

In America, the majority of young men in junior high school and high school want to play basketball. Therefore, there is a huge pool of people playing the game. From a larger number of players, we are more likely to have at least a few great players. It is only one percent of all high school players that make it to large college basketball programs. and it is a small percentage of those players that make it to the NBA. That is why when the world looks at the game of basketball, it is America that provides the best players in the world.

Now, the same applies for distance runners in Eastern Africa. The majority of young men and women (children) participate, one way or another, in long distance running. And, they do not live the comforting life we have here. It is a long told scenario of a young boy running to school, and running home. Some of these 8 , 9 or 10 year old children are running 3 or 4 miles each direction to and from school. Again, a large pool of people doing one thing. From this very large pool, you are bound to get at least a few great ones. And, like the NBA players, seen by the world, who are one percent of one percent, the Kenyan runners we see, are also one percent of one percent of all the runners from that country.

Add to that, these people do not live the same lifestyle we do here in our country. Many Kenyans head back to Kenya to keep their hunger. Because staying in this country can make someone too soft.

runn wrote:

Renato Canova once said, on this message board, that Kenyan children play the way Western children played in the 50's, 60's 70's.

Our children are no longer developing aerobic capacity as little kids- often when they start running they're basically starting from scratch.

You might be able to find that thread.

Look up Paul Rotich. He went to Texas to go to college and ran out of the money his father had sent him with. He was around 5'8" and 190lbs. He had never been a runner. He started running in an attempt to win a track scholarship and ended up being a 10x All-American.

Likely doping

lkjln wrote:

Likely doping

+++++++

It's a mistake to explain success through either genetics OR environment/training.

It's always an interaction of the two.

The real question is how much to attribute to each.

"The Sports Gene" looked at this.

Kenyans being "Nilotic" tribes (tall and skinny), then migrating to high altitude was relevant.

The "short time" of a few generations at altitude was also relevant, compared to other tribes, that have been at high altitude for much longer periods and many more generations.

A "sweet spot" of altitude, between 2000m and 3000m was also relevant.

Living at high altitude as an adolescent was important, for developing bigger lungs.

Another factor is the low weight of healthy adults -- it is much less work (energy) to move 50 kilos rather than 70 kilos over 26 miles.

carterschade wrote:

I'm writing a school research paper on Kenyan marathoners. My thesis is that Kenyan marathoners are successful not because of genetics or doping (with a few exceptions) but that, rather, they are disproportionately successful because their diet, training, and culture have evolved to be ideal for running.

I'd love to get some thoughts on this.

Ignore the doping issue. Let the drug obsessives obsess over that. Can you imagine an unkown Kenyan 18 year old who is in low 13 shape for 5000 needing dope to be sub 13 in 5 years time? It's just ridiculous what people attribute to drugs, it's like a freaking religious mania.

The reality is that we can't alter our metabolic rates over the span from resting to all out effort. This is actually basic physiology that only maby 1/10000 physiologists understands. What we change is our ability to maintain efficiency for longer periods of exercise. That's what all training theory is aimed at, whether people grasp this concept or not. East Africans are more dedictated to the training and there are thousands of them competing to be the best.

Stick to facts of what is measureable and you won't go wrong with your thesis. We know their training methods. Things like diet are unproven. There is evidence to suggest that Vitamin D levels from the sun help a lot with health and strength, as well as anecdotal evidence that it helps.

There is a decent book about this - Running with the Kenyans. An average UK runner goes to iten to live and train and find out exactly what you are asking. Well worth a read.

Are you going to cite "Letsrun.com message board" in your paper? If so, please video the reaction of your teacher when he/she sees it.

But for fun, it is a combination of genetics (and I use that term loosely here), socioeconomic factors, and environment .

First, keep in mind the great runners overwhelmingly come from one tribe.

Genetics: David Epstein does the best job both in The Sports Gene and in his TED Talk. It helps as a distance runner to be light and small to dissipate the heat. Kenyans (and others) were well-suited since to survive and thrive in that climate it is better to be longish and thin than short and squat. (Epstein points out that as you move away from the equator native peoples tend to get shorter and more squat.)

Environment: I mean not only the climate but the culture here. The climate makes it possible to be active year round especially in the Rift Valley. Altitude maybe a help too. Also activity levels traditionally have been higher. While it might be overstated now the amount the walking done by kids in Kenya still probably surpasses what even 1% of US kids do. So that walking to and from school might be a factor. Not to mention if they are working after school being active every day.

Socioeconomic: I believe soccer is the most popular sport in Kenya (as in most of the world), but running offers a way out of poverty. In the US other sports are seen as a way out of poverty (although it is interesting to note that the NBA was once the cornerstone but now NBA players are coming much more from the middle class). People see a Kenyan win a marathon and collect $100K in a place where the avg yearly income is $1200 and there is incentive to give it a try.

My take is that in the US where the avg income is around $57K, the incentive to run to get out of poverty is just not there. Go to school, get an education and you will be ok.

The "heroes" do play a role. A colleague at the USOC likes to say that a sport needs a hero to build on. Cycling had Lance Armstrong (cycling membership exploded under him as did the performance of US riders). Skiing, gymnastics and other Olympic sports have "heroes" (or "sheroes") that they promote for the next generation.

Also, I do not want to forget hard work. They put in the training. I imagine running 2-3x/day and then chilling the rest of the day is a superior life to being a farmer. They also have figured out the training that works for them. I think the training groups are a very important feature (and one factor that has led to the US success is the growth of training groups).

I would caution anyone from thinking it is just one thing (even doping) that has made them successful.

runn wrote:

Renato Canova once said, on this message board, that Kenyan children play the way Western children played in the 50's, 60's 70's.

Our children are no longer developing aerobic capacity as little kids- often when they start running they're basically starting from scratch.

You might be able to find that thread.

That's how I played growing up in the 90s

Genetics are a big factor. Light frame, short torso, short calves and long legs give you a major advantage as a distance runner. Just about every Kenyan from the Kalenjin tribe is built like that. There are also genetic adaptations to living at altitude that helps.

Otherwise, the biggest factor is probably opportunity. There are very few high plains plateaus in the world that are right at 7-9000 ft above sea level that have miles and miles of sparsely traveled farm roads through rolling hillsides. Bogota, Columbia is about at 8,600 ft and is probably the closest to Iten/Eldoret in terrain as a high plain plateau. The high plateaus in Asia are mostly under 6000 ft, except for the Tibetan plateau, which is too high. In most other parts of the world, the high plateaus are either too cold or hot or too rugged. Basically, the high plateau in Iten/Eldoret is probably the best place in the world to train at altitude. It is equatorial with temps year round in the 50s-70s.

Then, you have Brother Colm O'Connell and the Italian coaches. In the past, there were some very good distance running groups in Mexico and South America. But nothing ever hit critical mass to be able to attract a lot of good coaches to one area. But in Kenya, Brother O'Connell attracted a lot of Italian coaches and eventually you had more distance running coaching talent concentrated in Kenya than in anywhere else in the world.

Finally, distance running is probably one of the few sports that can thrive in high poverty areas. All you need for a race is a stop watch. Things like nice running shoes, physios, gym equipment, etc. can help with injury prevention and help performance a bit, but they do not make that big of a difference. And there are so many Kenyans trying to be distance runners that it does not matter whether some get injured training and do not make it. In fact, it may be a good way to select the strongest athletes with the best biomechanics.