What makes the Kenyans so good?

They are without question on of the top distance running countries of the world. But what makes them stand out from the crowd??

Well, its not just one thing in particular but perhaps an accumulation of many things that makes them world beaters!

Starting young:

Nearly everyone in Kenyan is running before they even know what it is, it is usually there fastest transport method as most of them can't afford cars. From a young age they are running mostly everyday to go to school, collect food, collect water and many more. This gives them a huge advantage when they start to train properly for competitions as they have a huge base and are well accustom to running.

Diet:

This may seem unobvious but plays a factor in African distance running. Their diet is fairly simple but healthy. The great Eluid Kipchoge stated "we eat real foods". They eat a plant based diet consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables grown locally. They also eat plenty of carbohydrates and love ugali to fuel them on a regular basis. There is no chemicals or added sugars or preservatives in these foods they are just freshly grown nutritious foods. Many of the foods we eat nowadays have hidden sugars or have unexpected chemicals added that hinder the body. the Kenyans have none of this and work off a clean diet.

Tradition:

In Kenya running is their national sport along with their pride. Most of them believe that if they train hard enough they will eventually become national heroes like their idols and escape poverty. Imagine if everyone in Americas sole focus was on running. America would become exponentially greater on the athletics stage.

Altitude:

In Iten ( "the home of champions" ) the Kenyans live and train at around 2,400m (7874.016ft) above sea level. This makes training harder as there is less oxygen in the air to go to your working muscles. The body adapts and produces more red blood cells. Then when these athletes come down to sea level to race they perform amazingly with more oxygen in the air, and their bodies find the paces they were running up in Iten much more comfortable.

Attitude:

Most Kenyan athletes come form a humbling background probably working on a farm or trying to help their family. They know what hard work is and don't make any excuses. This then transfers to their training and racing. They aren't afraid of collapsing or dying off from a fast pace, they are brave and but their body on line to win. This aggressive mentality trumps all others and can make them champions!