What Makes Kenya's Marathon Runners The World's Best?

Barefoot TJ

Administrator
Staff member
Mar 5, 2010
21,467
7,015
113
"One of the fascinating things about Kenya is that few people exercise for fun. When runners there retire, they stop running. It's a business. As a result, people don't jog to stay healthy as they age"

I found that interesting, it's like running as an alternative to farming to provide a means to an end .
 
"One of the fascinating things about Kenya is that few people exercise for fun. When runners there retire, they stop running. It's a business. As a result, people don't jog to stay healthy as they age"

I found that interesting, it's like running as an alternative to farming to provide a means to an end .

I thought about that statement too, Board, then I decided that this reporter doesn't know everyone in Kenya to be able to make that statement.
 
I thought about that statement too, Board, then I decided that this reporter doesn't know everyone in Kenya to be able to make that statement.

Yeah but T.J., it wasn't the reporter saying that, it was Harvard evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman!
 
Yeah but T.J., it wasn't the reporter saying that, it was Harvard evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman!
Yes, but I wonder if HE really said that. He is not THAT narrow-minded.
 
Yes, but I wonder if HE really said that. He is not THAT narrow-minded.

O.K., got it. He could have been misquoted. I really should assume ALL quotes are wrong, unless they can be proven right.
That's pretty typical in reporting.
Reminds me about how different the WSJ experience was, they called back for fact checks, verifying very last detail.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Barefoot TJ
I work with 3 Kenyans. 1 male doctor and 2 female nurses. All have lived here for a decade or less but are very westernized. They eat our food and wear our shoes. They are all of average height to slightly tall and of average build. I think all 3 came from Narobi. Of the 3 only the male runs casually. He mostly runs on a treadmill and in shoes. He gets my barefoot approach but doesn't (and never has) utilize (d) it himself. He thinks I'm a much better runner than he, lol. The ladies think I'm nuts for going barefoot. All three say the good runners are those "other Kenyans" and "they're crazy." Kinda' interesting insight, I thought.