Kenya has dominated long-distance running for decades. Year in and out, the country bags medals in different marathons. Why is this the case?
David Epstein,an investigative reporter, holds that Kenya is good at the long-distance races due to their physique and the natural environment.
Epstein who was conducting a Ted Talk noted that despite the Kalenjin community being just 12% of Kenya's population they still dominate the world scene.
He explained that on average, the athletes have unique physiology which is as a result of their natural habitat.
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“The Kalenjin just make up 12% of the population in Kenya but the vast majority of elite runners and they happen on average to have certain unique physiology, legs that are very long and very thin at their extremity.
“This is because they have their ancestry at a very low latitude in a very hot and dry climate. An evolutionary adaptation to that is limbs that are very long and thin at extremity for cooling purposes,” Epstein noted.
He further likened it to the reason why a radiator has long coils to increase surface area to volume ratio release the heat.
“Because the leg is like a pendulum the longer and thinner it is at the extremity the more energy efficient it is to swing,” he added.
He noted that in the history of the USA only 17 men have been able to run faster than 2 hours 10 minutes in a marathon as compared to 32 Kalenjin men who did so in just a month.
In Kenya, Iten which is the capital of Elgeyo Marakwet County was awarded a Heritage Plaque by World Athletics in 2020.
Athletes all over the world visit the town between June and September each year to train due to its extremely cool and favourable climate.
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