Trisha Steidl has been the head cross-country coach at Seattle University for almost three years now. A repeat winner of the Seattle Marathon in 2006 and 2007, she traveled to Kenya during her first year as head coach to absorb the cultural experience, take in the warm weather, and more importantly immerse herself in the famed running scene of East Africa. By running with the locals and picking the brains of some of the most talented runners the world has never heard of, Steidl hoped to gain an insight into why this culture halfway around the world has stormed onto the international distance running scene in the last thirty some years.
Flashing back to 1968, one can start to see the whole picture. The setting is the Summer Olympics in Mexico, and the main players are two runners whose rivalry would come to define the next forty years of their sport. One is American Jim Ryun, the former world record-holder in the mile race; the other is little-known runner from the small country of Kenya known as Kipchoge "Kip" Keino. Facing off in the 1500 meter final in the ’68 Games, Ryun is the heavy favorite, and considered to be as unstoppable on the track as unstoppable can be.
The gun goes off, signaling the start of the race. Keino sits in third place as the leaders come through the first lap in world-record pace. As the second lap is completed, the Kenyan moves up to the front of the pack, with Ryun nowhere to be found. Soon enough, Keino puts twenty meters between him and the next runner. Coming through the finish a shade slower than the world record, he achieves the largest margin of victory in the history of the event in an Olympic final.
Flashing forward to the present day, we see a completely different world of distance running. East African runners are associated with absolute dominance of their sport, and theories are abounding to why. Seattle University’s own Trisha Steidl offers one theory.
“(For Kenyans) there isn’t much else besides running."
The mindset of the average Kenyan runner is that of someone who lives on $150 a year, and is running in order to feed their family. A large majority of these Kenyans are competing as a means of survival, giving them “a lot to win, but also a lot to lose.”
In the last thirty or so years, this has become evident as college coaches and agents have become the liaisons for East
African runners towards the opportunity to not only showcase their immense running talent, but also to give them a way to support their considerably large families. That being said, why the lack of Kenyan recruits at Seattle University? For one, with the Athletic Department being the way it is, funding for recruiting needs to be at a certain level, ideally with a whole lot of full scholarships. Without this, it becomes hard to draw in East African runners, especially when they can flock to other programs that are renowned for their Kenyan recruits as well as their ability to fund such a venture.While Seattle University may not have the resources to bring in Kenyans, there are still programs across the nation that do. By providing these opportunities to people who have little to no financial mobility, world records fall at alarming rates. With Keino’s 1968 victory as the catalyst, East Africans move to the forefront of the international distance running scene. Records are broken one by one until we get to the present day, where an East African holds every major record from the 800-meter race to the marathon. In 1986, 48.3% of the top 20 performances in the major distance events (800, 1500, mile, 3000, 5000, marathon) were held by Europeans. By 2003, 85% of these top 20 performances were held by runners of African descent, 55.8% of which were Kenyan.
While many factors contribute to this, there are a few that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Says Steidl, East African running is “selfless” in nature, at least in comparison to the Western mentality in which there is less hardship.
This motivation plays a strong part in the rigorous training that Kenyans are notorious for taking part in. Even from a young age, “having to be mobile all the time” figures largely into the success of East Africans in running as bodies develop, as the main transportation takes place on foot. Marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie was known for running long distances to and from school every day with his textbooks tucked under his arms in his home country of Ethiopia.
Taking into account the economic situation of East Africans, there is yet another facet to consider when speculating on athletic ability.
“Evolutionarily, where they are is the ideal body type for running,” says Steidl, citing East Africans’ small frames with little to no body fat.
Studies done by Swedish scientist Bengt Saltin in the 1990’s showed that Kenyans have an increased ability to “resist fatigue longer.” Lactate, a chemical compound “generated by tired, oxygen-deprived muscles” built up in Kenyan legs slower than the average runner in Saltin’s study, leading to their ability to push their bodies to levels the average runner simply cannot.
Other genetic factors figure into the ultra-efficient runner as well. In one study, Saltin compared a focus group of Danish runners with Kenyans. In this trial, he found that the average Kenyan has “on average, 400 grams less flesh in each lower leg.” The science behind this phenomena states that the “farther weight is from the center of gravity, the more energy it takes to move it.” Put simply, with genetically slimmer calve muscles, it takes less energy for the average Kenyan to move their legs while running.
One issue that many studies fail to take into account is the fact that a vast majority of East African runners cannot afford shoes, forcing them to run barefoot. Says Steidl; “Not having shoes makes them more efficient at running on their toes.” By running barefoot, the African runner becomes biomechanically efficient. This type of unsupported running builds up small muscles in the feet and legs that a runner would not normally build wearing heavily supportive running shoes.
The socio-economic factors surrounding East African runners stand at the forefront of their ability as well, as they are known for retreating to small villages in the mountains of their home country to train, sometimes not seeing their families for months, or even years at a time. With the lack of technology such as television and internet there is “nothing to distract them from training,” says Coach Steidl. When presented with the “opportunity to help their family,” the Kenyan runner will use all assets at their disposal to do so. In most cases, the biggest, and sometimes only asset available is their incredible running ability.
Steidl’s time spent in Kenya brought forth a simple truth. Could a country whose distance runners stand above the rest genetically have a wealth of untapped potential?
“Absolutely,” says Steidl, “and they could be so much better given the resources.”
Clearly, the mentality and the genetics were always there; all it took was the image of Kip Keino leaning across the finish line at the 1968 Olympics for a culture to get its chance to show the world its immense promise. This in turn led to the dawn of a new age in distance running, and more importantly the opportunity for a better life. And while this better life may not be easy for the East African runner, thanks to God-given ability and the chance to shine, it definitely moves at a fast pace.
