Kenya: Where dreams become aims. What motivates the Kenyan athlete?

Photo courtesy of Rob Henwood, BodyHelix Europe.

By Myles Edwards.  Reporting from Iten, Kenya.

Interview published on runnerslife.co.uk Wednesday 21st March, 2012.

Every athlete has a goal.  However, the motives behind each individual sportsman and woman dedicating such large quantities of their lives to sporting pursuits vary enormously.  Whether it be in search of fame, money, a sense of achievement, weight loss or a way to vent and release stress or frustration which has arisen from other areas of their lives – millions of individuals all over the world choose to push their mind, body and souls to the limit in search of their ultimate goal.

Having spent five of the past seven months training at altitude in Iten, Kenya in pursuit of my personal goals in the world of athletics, it has become clear to me that these reasons and motives not only vary depending on the individual but also derive from the athlete’s country of origin.

A question I am often asked is why do so many Kenyans opt to pursue a career in athletics? Is it for financial benefit?  To be the best they can be? Or simply to fill in time? These are just a few of the many questions which follow up the original.

Kenyans see athletics as the fastest, most realistic and, in some cases, only vehicle to a better life.  ‘Making it’ takes on a whole different meaning to a Kenyan athlete compared to that of their British counterparts.  Starting out as a competitive athlete in the UK, aged 9, I wanted to win, have fun and do my parents proud.  In Kenya it can be a matter of life or death.  For this reason it is not surprising that without fail, 3 times each day you will see large groups of athletes stampeding along the red dirt roads of Iten, trying to run their way to a better life.  They can see all around them, the financial success that can be achieved through running and in particular marathon running.  They see the big cars, the land and the status which their neighbours have achieved through running.  They say to themselves ‘I am Kenyan, I can do this too’.  One race can set you up for life.

Reports suggest that Samuel Wanjiru, a hero to many Kenyans but who’s life sadly came to a tragic end in 2011, was earning up to 2million Kenyan shillings (over  £15,500) per month as a teenager from his Toyota contract alone.  A good quality acre of farming land in Kenya can cost around 300,000ksh (around £2,200).

While there is no doubt that the financial side of the sport is a hugely influential factor in motivating Kenyan athletes to be the best and drive them out of poverty, there is still a very special characteristic which is evident in every top runner I have spoken with during my time here.  Despite the vast levels of success that many have enjoyed, they still continue to push themselves to new limits and chase new world records when they could quite easily sit back, relax and enjoy their wealth.

Speaking with the second fastest marathon runner in history, Wilson Kipsang, he said:

“We as athletes have aims and expectations which become higher and more ambitious as we achieve.  Now my ambition is the world marathon record.

“It takes discipline and hard work.  I am a very focused guy, when I want something I go out there and work hard to get it.”

World half-marathon record holder and reigning London Marathon champion, Mary Keitany, also possesses this infectious, burning desire to succeed at the very top of the sport.

Her coach, Gabriele Nicola, provided great insight into the reasons behind her success and emphasised just how important this determined attitude is when chasing new feats:

“Mary is talented, she is light and she has a big engine.  Some people are born to run fast.  However, on top of this she has a professional attitude and great discipline.  There is no secret.  Talent is useless for people if they do not have the correct attitude.”

Kenya and its people continue to teach me that in order to achieve your goals in athletics and indeed life, you need to push yourself to new limits – but crucially, to also train smart in order to avoid injury.  Finding this balance is key and it is something which many of the athletes I have met place a paramount level of importance on.   It truly is a special country and a place which can help turn your dreams into realistic, concrete aims.

Athletics Kenya could run into trouble

Kenyans training session: 10 x 1km. Kamriny Track, Iten. September 20th 2011

By Myles Edwards.  Reporting from Iten, Kenya

Athletics Kenya, this morning announced that all Gold medal winners from the recent World Championships in Daegu will be selected for the London 2012 Olympics. 

This would be standard practice for most countries and require virtually no announcement nor analysis.  However, look into this a little deeper and you see just how bold, and potentially foolish, this statement is.  World 5000m gold and 10,000m silver medallist, Mo Farah – barring injury or a catastrophic drop in form – will be selected for Great Britain at our home Olympics.  The same goes for Dai Greene following his impressive 400m hurdles gold medal in Daegu earlier this month.  The difference being that UK Athletics do not have to deal with the possibility that other athletes could potentially break world records between now and London. 

Kenya has a bottomless pit of talent at their disposal across all distances above 400 metres.  This is most comprehensively demonstrated in the marathon, particularly in the male event.  What makes the race inLondon even more special for Kenyan athletes is the tragic passing of current title holder Sammy Wanjiru earlier this year.  His run to victory in Beijing captured the hearts, not only of a nation, but the world as a whole as he won Kenya’s first ever Olympic marathon gold medal. 

Abel Kirui wins World Championships Marathon in Daegu. (reuters)

Each country is allowed to select 3 representatives for the 26.2 mile event at London 2012.  This morning’s announcement guarantees Abel Kirui one of those berths.  Along with his personal best of 2.05.04 (Rotterdam 2009) his impressive 2.06.54 to scoop gold in Daegu has cemented his place.   Also on the plane to London is newly crowned world record holder Patrick Makau who, on the streets of Berlin, took 21 seconds off Haile Gebreselassie’s previous mark to run a time of 2 hours 3 minutes 38 seconds.  Already Kirui and Makau have welcomed the decision saying that they will give Wanjiru a fitting tribute by regaining his title inLondon.  This leaves one slot up for grabs. 

• Speaking with Wilson Kipsang last week, he is in good shape to get close to the world record inFrankfurt, a month from now. 
• Emmanuel Mutai, the reigning London Marathon champion is due to run the New York City Marathon in November.
• Geoffrey Mutai recently clocked 2.03.02 inBoston to make him the fastest man in history.  Unfortunately the IAAF did not deem the course to meet their criteria for world record eligibility due to the percentage of downhill from point to point.  He will also runNew York.
• Finishing four seconds behind Geoffrey in Berlin was Moses Mosop who already this year has a world record to his name over 30km on the track, running 1.26.47.  Just last week, in preparation for the Chicago Marathon on October 9^th, he completed a training run of 40km in 2 hours 6 minutes.

Whilst today’s announcement undoubtedly contains an element of controversy, the selected athletes have come out in full praise, saying that it gives them ample time to prepare properly for the event.  However, in relation to the mens marathon it is far too early to make such a bold statement.

In the highly possible event that the world record was to be broken once or even twice in the coming months, it may force Athletics Kenya to reconsider their stance.  Whatever their final decision there will surely be complaint.  Standing by their announcement would potentially deny a man who has run quicker than the current world record the chance of becoming an Olympian.  Backtracking and picking the fastest people would look highly unprofessional and completely mess up the racing and training plans of Abel Kirui, a proven championship performer with a fast time of his own.  Their actions show a total disregard for the individual athlete.  In effect it may well not matter who they pick as they posess such strength in depth.  However, in effect all they are doing is forcing someone to run a world record time.

Sir Alex Ferguson thinks Danny Welbeck’s from gives him a selection headache.  Javier Hernandez just needs to work hard in training and bide his time, the World Marathon champion from Daegu may have to contemplate running another marathon and potentially break the world record in the process to solidify his place.