Runners from Kenya dominate the marathon. According to an article in the April 13, 2011, edition of the Boston Herald, Kenyan men have snapped the tape in first place 18 out of the past 23 years, as of 2011. Genetics, geography and lifestyle have all been mentioned as reasons behind this supremacy. But when looking for the most consistent reason, experts say it's the workouts of Kenyan marathoners that contribute most to their continued success.
Training Lifestyle
Training for a Kenyan marathoner is at the heart of not only his lifestyle, but his life. Almost three dozen training camps for marathoners can be found throughout the Kenya countryside. Promising young runners train alongside accomplished veterans. They share spartan living conditions, plentiful food, and are left to focus on nothing but running. To train like a Kenya requires intense focus. "Your mind must be clear," says Solomon Busendich, an ING Amsterdam Marathon Champion. Speaking in Running Times, Busendich cited the career of one Kenya champion that ended when he spent too much time building a business and not enough time training.
Hard Running
Running hard is at the core of Kenyan marathon workouts, Olympic marathon champion Paul Tergat says that when he set a work marathon record, he ran almost an entire marathon at race pace in his training. A three-week training cycle of Gabriele Rosa, who has coached several marathon champions from Kenya, calls for up to 175 miles of 20-mile long runs and intense intervals training per week at high altitude on rock-strewn trails.
Easy Running
Running too hard, too much, however, can lead to burnout and injury. That's why the equally important flip side of the hard running principal for Kenyan marathoners is easy running. According Toby Tanser in Running Times magazine, Kenya Olympic runner and 2:27 female marathoner Alice Chelanget puts a lot of value in rest periods "On easy days, if you start pushing then the next day you cannot give 100 percent," Chelanget says. Most Kenya marathoners follow an intense three-week cycle of training with one week of running shorter distances at a very relaxed, slow pace for recovery.
Sample Workout
Kenya Samuel Wanjiru won the 2008 Olympic Marathon in a record time of 2:06:32. In an interview with sportswriter Akio Harada of the Asahi Newspaper (as translated by Brett Larner for the English-language website Japan Running News), Wanjiru shares some highlights from the four weeks right before his historic victory:
Week One: A 22-mile trail run at a slow pace, a rest day and finally a speed work session of 10 400-meter runs.
Week Two: 18-mile run on flat ground at marathon race pace followed by two easy days, and ending with speed work of three 3,000-meter runs.
Week Three: A 22-mile trail run at an easy pace followed by a rest day and a speed work session of 10 400-meter runs.
Week Four: A fast 18-mile run followed by two easy days then topped off with three fast 3,000-meter runs.
References
- "Boston Herald"; Kenyan Dominance Par for the Course; John Connolly; April 2011
- "Running Times"; Inside Kenyan Training; Toby Tanser; December 2007
- "Sports Illustrated"; Long-Distance Land; Tim Layden; April 2001
- Japan Running News: Samuel Wanjiru Shares ...; Akio Harada, translated by Brett Larner; December 2008
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