This past weekend at the New York City Marathon, Kenyan runners came out victorious in both the men’s and women’s categories. Benson Kipruto won first place for the men’s category along with two other Kenyan runners (Alexander Mutiso Munyao and Albert Korir). For the women’s category, Hellen Obiri won first place, while two other Kenyan runners (Sharon Lokedi and Sheila Chepkirui) came up second and third.
The race was very close for Kipruto as he only beat Munyao by hundredths of a second and actually achieved the closest finish in racing history! Hellen Obiri beat Chepkirui by 16 seconds, later saying, “This is my time, Sharon, let me make a move.” Sharon Lokedi was the NYC marathon champion in 2022. Obiri, Kipruto, Lokedi, and Munyao are all Olympians.
The New York City marathon is one of the largest ones worldwide, bringing in people from more than 150 different countries. It is estimated that over 55 thousand people participated in the New York City marathon this time. Out of such a large number of participants, it is quite remarkable that so many of the winners were Kenyan! However, this is not a new phenomenon, as Kenya, Ethiopia, and East Africa as a whole, are known to produce great runners.
Many of the runners from these regions have trained and lived in the high-altitude area called the Rift Valley. When one trains at a high altitude, running at normal altitudes becomes easier. Kenyatta University exercise and sports science professor Vincent Onywera says, “There is widespread belief in the athletic community that altitude training can enhance sea level athletic performance, with at least three independent studies demonstrating that altitude training increases both sea level maximal oxygen consumption and running performance.” For example, the town of Iten in western Kenya is the home of some great runners, and it is 8,000 feet above sea level! Some of the runners from the Rift Valley include Eliud Kipchoge, Faith Kipyegon, Kelvin Kiptum, and Kip Keino.
Athletes from other countries have started to notice the impact Kenyan runners have made globally and have been inspired. British runner and author, Adharanand Finn, spent a period of his life trying to understand what made Kenyans from the Rift Valley such great runners. His goal was initially to discover their secret to being great athletes, but in the end said, “The only secret is that there’s no secret. It’s not one thing but a perfect storm of elements that come together in Kenya’s Rift Valley region to make people there so strong at distance running.” He wrote the book Running with the Kenyans to explain in more detail what he had learned. Finn says that it’s ultimately the environment and lifestyle that sets these runners apart from childhood; no junk food, high altitude, and good running terrain. Additionally, he notes that running changes lives and transforms communities in the area. Successful runners return home and are willing to support aspiring athletes, which creates much opportunity.
On the global stage, running has been a unifying sport, requiring little and returning much. It’s been said that you get out of it what you put into it, and running has been exactly that for many people. It brings people together at national and international sporting events like the New York City Marathon and creates opportunities for people starting from any level.
