Why do Kenyans win marathons? How elite Kenyan runners eat Why Africa has the best runners.

Over the past few years, we have seen a surge in results in running on long distances, most of these results are shown Kenyan runners. One has only to open the statistics of the results for the whole history, and we will see that in the men's marathon, only Kenenisa Bekele, an Ethiopian, entered the top 10 among Kenyans with a result of 2:03:03, shown in Berlin in 2016. Evgenia Zhgir, MSMK marathon, curator of the RunCzech Racing project, author of a series of articles, tells how the holders of world records in running train in Kenya.

Who coaches

You will be surprised, but few Kenyans train under the guidance of a coach, while most of them train in a group of athletes, where the training plan is compiled by the athletes themselves or by the leading athlete-leader. Where, you ask, do athletes have such competence? The fact is that Kenyans are a very open people, and more experienced athletes are happy to share their experience with younger ones. In general, every runner in Kenya, even a beginner, will tell you that if today is Tuesday, then it is a fartlek, if it is Saturday, then it is a long one. Over the years, a very special running culture has developed here.

As for the groups that work under the guidance of a trainer, the program there depends on the trainer. There are successful trainers of local origin in Kenya, and there are also Europeans. The most successful and well-known among European trainers is the Italian Renato Canova, who has been working in Kenya for many years. Renato worked for some time in Ethiopia and even in China, but still returned to Kenya, explaining that it was easier and more pleasant to work there.

Of the local coaches, perhaps, Patrick Sang stands out, his most famous student is the Olympic champion in the marathon, the owner and winner of many prestigious marathons, including in Berlin and London. If Renato Canova adheres to the approach “from intensity” in his work, then Patrick Sang - “from volume”. Both approaches have a place to be, and both bring results. However, the “intensity” approach is more traumatic, and if you look at Canova’s group, so many of his athletes are injured, some recover and return, some don’t. The “from volume” approach is softer, and most athletes use this principle, gradually increasing the intensity.

Self-training groups are equally successful. For example, ex-marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang organizes his training process himself, marathon world record holder Dennis Kimetto also trains in a group without a coach.The key point in the training process of Kenyan runners is precisely the work in a group, where everyone supports and “pulls” each other.

Training schedule

The most common training schedule looks like this:

• Monday - developing cross;
• Tuesday - fartlek;
• Wednesday - recovery cross;
• Thursday - high-speed work at the stadium;
• Friday - recovery cross;
• Saturday - long tempo;
• Sunday is rest.

As a rule, most runners do 2 workouts a day: morning - according to the above scheme, and evening - jogging, general developmental exercises and stretching. Sometimes athletes change Tuesday from Thursday, because. the stadium is simply not able to accommodate several hundred athletes at the same time. Therefore, the groups agree among themselves who comes to the stadium when.

Most often, runners go to the morning workout no later than 6:00 in the morning and don’t even have breakfast before training – work first, then food.

Where do they train

The important point is that the vast majority of Kenyan runners train exclusively on dirt roads and a dirt stadium. Not because there is no asphalt and stadiums with a professional surface, but because dirt roads are softer and less traumatic. Only a few athletes combine dirt and asphalt, mostly during the rainy season, when dirt roads are washed away, but somehow you still need to train.

Types of training

Athletes start preparing for the season with crosses and long low intensity, then include fartleks, and then high-speed work, gradually increasing the intensity. Fartleks vary in different time periods, the rest between working periods most often does not exceed 1 minute. The number of repetitions depends on how many kilometers are planned for the fartlek, usually 8-10 km. As a rule, Kenyans do speed work with a fairly short rest, for example, 10x1000 m after 1.5-2 minutes of rest.

Long paces are also quite intense: those who train for 10 km and half marathons do paces from 15 to 30 km, marathon runners from 25 to 40 km. For example, while training for the 2017 Tokyo Marathon, Wilson Kipsang kept a final pace of 35 km in 1 hour 59 minutes, averaging 3:24/km, at 2,300 meters above sea level. Kipsang won the Tokyo marathon that year in 2:03:58.

How to recover

How do Kenyans recover after such loads? In the sauna, by the way, they do not go. Massage, yes, at least once a week if finances allow. And, of course, sleep and good nutrition. Sleep, as they say, better recovery. Large sports management companies organize year-round support for their athletes: masseur, physiotherapy. Performed very well in athletics device "Normatek" (Normatec), almost all elite athletes use it for recovery.

What about women?

Women's long distance running received a huge breakthrough in 2017, with 7 world records set from April to October by runners from Kenya. The most sensational was the half marathon in Prague, where Joycilyn Jepkosgey updated four world achievements at once during the half marathon distance (10 km, 15 km, 20 km and half marathon), while she became the first woman to run this distance faster than 65 minutes, her result is 1: 04:52. At the end of April, Mary Keitani successfully stormed the marathon world record ( separate start) - 2:17:01. In the autumn of the same year, Joycilyn updated the 10 km record, again in Prague, becoming the first woman to run ten out of 30 minutes (29:43), and a month later she improved her half marathon time by 1 second.

Mary Keitany (marathon world record holder, winner of the London and New York marathons) and Edna Kiplagat ( two-time champion world marathon) with pacemakers at speed training.

In general, the training process for women is built in the same way as for men, with only one difference: women do not train in groups. As a rule, athletes have one or more pacemakers who accompany them to each training session and set the pace. Many Kenyan female runners train under the guidance of a trainer husband. Including Joycilyn Jepkosgey and Mary Keitani: both are trained by their husbands, and Mary's husband is not only her coach, but also a pacemaker.

And finally, I want to say about one more driving moment training process Kenyans, namely motivation. Running for Kenyans is a real way to earn a living and get out of poverty. Unfortunately, many athletes lose motivation as soon as they earn the first decent money and leave the sport, but there are those for whom running becomes not just an income, but a way of self-realization, and then we see such outstanding athletes as Eliud Kipchoge, Wilson Kipsang , Mary Keitani, Joycelyn Jepkosgey and many others.

Athletes from Kenya have been the favorites in long-distance running for almost five decades, and it looks like their dominance will continue. In this article, we will try to find out what is the secret of their success.

The majority of elite Kenyan runners belong to the Kalenji tribe, which makes up approximately 12% of the entire population of Kenya. Also, high-level runners are found among representatives of the Kikuyu tribe (22% of the population of Kenya).

However, there are certain physiological and cultural traits that are unique to the Kalenji people, and this may explain their superiority over others in long-distance running.

The Kalenji tribes originally lived in the hot lowlands and eventually migrated to the highlands, so their common physiological characteristics - long and thin limbs and short stature - are perfectly adapted to heat removal, which is an important factor during long races. Other body features that make Kenyan runners more successful are very long legs relative to the body and thin ankles and calves (which reduces energy costs when lifting the legs and will allow them to work on the principle of a pendulum).

In addition, having been raised at an altitude of approximately 2,000 meters above sea level since childhood, Kenyans consume oxygen more efficiently, which cannot be achieved in adulthood, exercising even in the highlands.

Kenyan runners first came into the spotlight during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics when Keino Kipchoge, an underdog and suffering from health problems, managed to win current champion the world of Jim Ryan. This event marked the beginning of an era of dominance for runners from Kenya.

A study published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance in 2013 looked at the extraordinary success of Kenyan athletes in long-distance running. Several contributing factors have been identified:

• genetic predisposition;
• development of a high level of BMD as a result of a large amount of walking and running in early age;
• relatively high level hemoglobin and hematocrit;
• high economy and efficiency of running, based on the characteristics of the somatotype (proportions of body parts);
• favorable skeletal composition muscle fibers;
• features of the Kenyan diet;
• high motivation to achieve financial success.

A follow-up study, published in the journal PLoS One in the same 2013, found that Kenyan children start exercising at an early age and walk an average of 7.5 km a day. IPC and anaerobic threshold they are higher than their peers from other countries. They also have a very low body mass index, averaging 15.5, meaning they have minimal body fat.

As mentioned above, nutrition plays an important role in keeping Kenyan athletes in good shape at all times. As a recent study shows, athletes get their nutrients mainly from plant foods, beef is consumed only 4 times a week. The diet is based on a high content of carbohydrates, approximately 10.4 g per kg of body daily.

Another study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology suggests that more elastic calf muscles may be the secret to Kenyan runners' success. A group of Japanese scientists compared the performance of ten Kenyan elite runners with ten untrained white men who completed the maximum number of long jumps. The results show that Kenyan athletes have:

• longer Achilles tendons;
• more a short time contact with the surface during the jump;
• longer flight time;
• great jumping power.

Based on site materials www.quora.com, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc

Iskander Yadgarov, a half-marathon runner, athlete and programmer, decided to answer the age-old question of why Kenyans are among the fastest runners in the world. To do this, he went to Kenya, where he spent a whole month training with local athletes. Did he manage to find a clue? Read his monologue.

I started running in my first year when I entered Moscow State University. I can't say that my choice was an accident. Even though I've never run before, I've always been drawn to it. A little later, I started to train in the section - the results were getting better and better, and I could no longer stop. After graduating from university, I did not give up running, but on the contrary, I continued to train and take part in running competitions. The last two years have been very successful for me - I won the Moscow half marathon and became the winner of several major races.

I used to train an average of five times a week, but then gradually began to increase the load. With age and as experience accumulates, the body adapts and can already withstand large volumes. Now I train twice a day (except Saturday and Sunday - these days I train once), on average I get 12-13 workouts per week. And it's completely normal professional athletes exercise three times a day. At the same time, I have the main job - I am a programmer, developer of Yandex.Maps. Despite the fact that I almost do not earn on the run, I have long outgrown the level of an amateur.

I always train for results. Even at university, I wanted to fight. I almost immediately began to run fast, trying to overtake others.

In my opinion, sport helps to develop. When a person leads a sedentary lifestyle and does the same thing all the time, he has a feeling of congestion and sometimes even oppression. In this regard, running, like any other sports hobby, helps to cheer up and gain strength - both physical and emotional.

I like to perform at foreign competitions, and when I was running the top ten in Greece, I met a Kenyan (he won, and I took second place), who told me about Kenya - about how local athletes exercise and what they eat. We had a great conversation and finally exchanged contacts.

I have always dreamed of visiting Kenya - Kenyans are some of the fastest runners in the world and I was curious to know what their secret was. At some point, I finally decided that I had to go. Six months before leaving, I contacted that Kenyan - his name is Maina - and told him about his plans. In response, he agreed to accept me and provide a room in his house.

On December 31, I boarded a plane and flew to Kenya, where I stayed for almost a whole month - until January 27.

Photo from the personal archive of Iskander Yadgarov

I will not claim that I have solved the secret of the Kenyans. No, it's not easy here. Their secret is a combination of many factors. But based on what I saw, I can say one thing for sure: Kenyans can run even faster. Many athletes do not train quite correctly and because of this they do not reach their maximum. Most of them "run over" and get injured. So if these Kenyans had competent coaches, they would show even more impressive results.

But if we return to the totality of factors, then, of course, height plays a big role here - it contributes to the development of endurance. There is less air there, which means that athletes adapt to loads in conditions of oxygen deficiency, and then, when they go down, they run much easier. For example, I have lived at 1500 meters and the running elite trains at 2400 meters. Plus in Kenya, as well as in many of our villages, people eat healthy food and lead an active lifestyle. Local children do not have a “sedentary” childhood, but a very lively and mobile one. They walk to school, which is often quite far from home - five kilometers in one direction and five in the other. And so from year to year. At the same time, they have almost no fast carbohydrates - no sweets, burgers, pizzas. They mainly eat rice, pasta and cereals. Meat is not often eaten; tea with milk is preferred from drinks.

If I have a choice - work or run, give my best or not - then most Kenyans do not have such a choice. They basically have only two options - either running or heavy physical labor. By running, they will earn their living - for some, this is the main way to survive. Kenyans always give their best and never spare themselves. But there is also a downside, which I have already mentioned - such intensity leads to injuries. But everyone who “digests” these workouts comes out really strong and hardy.

Photo from the personal archive of Iskander Yadgarov

A typical workout looks like this (I want to make a reservation right away: this is how the runners I worked with trained. Training program V other groups may differ): Kenyans get up at six in the morning, before sunrise, gather in one place (in Kenya, everyone trains only in groups) and run cross-country (on average from 10 to 18 kilometers), without breakfast - thanks to a hearty dinner, they have energy. They can run the first morning workout both calmly and with accelerations. Then it's time for breakfast and at 10 in the morning they go out for the second workout - they either do jumping exercises along with cross-country, or just run 10-12 kilometers. At 17:00, the third training session begins - more calm than the previous two. Usually this is a slow run.

All of the above happens on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, on the rest of the days they have breakfast and only by nine in the morning go to the first speed workout. Most often they do (or alternate running) - for example, they run fast for a minute, then slowly for a minute, and so all 13 kilometers. On Thursday and Tuesday they have only two workouts - intensive in the morning, light in the evening. On Saturday, a long cross, 33-40 kilometers. It's interesting that long crosses Kenyans always run very fast - the first few kilometers are slow, and then they start to “spin”. The pace can increase up to 2:50 min/km. Our group averaged 35 kilometers at a pace of 3:20 min/km. I have never been able to run a long cross with them.. It's a pretty fast pace and the Kenyans are very strong in the long runs. It seems to me that these crosses contain their secret.

On Sunday, as a rule, everyone rests - except that in the morning they can do a simple workout.

Photo from the personal archive of Iskander Yadgarov

Don't think that exercising two or three times a day is that hard. No, if the body is prepared and adapted to such loads, then everything is in order. To recover, an hour of sleep during the day, a good night's sleep and good nutrition are enough. In addition, these guys do not work, running is their main activity. They are training to win a prize at some prestigious foreign race and earn money.. They are forced to give up work and devote themselves to training for several months. Someone has a wife working, and this is enough for a living, someone is helped by their parents, someone has invested money somewhere and has interest, someone has his own garden. There was a man there who had four children. He lost his wife two years ago and now has to support his family alone. He periodically worked part-time (work in Kenya is often very hard) and sometimes missed training because of this, but at the same time he believed that thanks to good results in his age group (he is 55 years old) will be able to perform in Europe, earn money and feed himself and his children through this. Maina, where I lived, also goes to competitions twice a year to earn money.

We are all fixated on gadgets and sneakers, on what to eat before training, and the heads of Kenyans are free from unnecessary thoughts. They don't give a damn about bullshit and can run in the same pair of running shoes for over six years.

The experience that I got, of course, is colossal. And not only in terms of running, but also in terms of getting to know the life and culture of the country that I always wanted to visit. As for training, we exchanged knowledge - I showed them some exercises and told them about the pulse (they don’t take it into account, they do everything by feeling). ABOUT neither showed me that you can run on an empty stomach (it is important to eat a heavy meal in the evening). This saves time - no need to wait until the breakfast is digested. Taught long crosses - the secret is that they run them fast. And of course, I adopted their positive attitude and mental attitude. The head should be free from everything superfluous. Emotions are important in running, and emotional strength must be saved. Expending it, we are exhausted physically. And the Kenyans, on the contrary, are always kind and smiling - they are focused on training and do not let problems confuse themselves. There was some kind of trouble - well, nothing, it happens. If you react to everything and get nervous all the time, then nothing good will come of it. On the contrary, it will only interfere.

semi-professional running, in the winter of 2017, Iskander went to the African continent, to Kenya, which many of us only read about in books. Here is the third part of Iskander's story about his adventures in Kenya, and here are the parts.

Our training took place in the "village" near the city of Thika, where we lived. In general, Tika is not the most sports place: the height is only 1500 m, the roads are dusty, there are almost no hills, and there are few athletes themselves. But Maina believes that this is a plus and that it is easier not to lose speed here. The choice of professions is also small - stones are mined and cut in Tik, so the work here is hard physical labor, a quarry or construction. Of course, there are simpler professions - for example, to sell something, but these niches are usually occupied. Either you train or work, you won’t be able to combine it - with such work there is absolutely no strength left to run.

Previously, the general population of Kenya did not recognize the runners - they were considered idlers, and they were looked at like they were crazy.

But with the development of the media, people have learned that the opposite is true: it is the runners who glorify Kenya and earn good money. Attitudes towards running and runners have changed, and Kenyan athletes have become idols for many children. True, the earnings of a runner are fickle and unreliable, especially with such competition, so what means some of them live on remains a mystery to me.

• Breakfast after the first run

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Discipline?

Kenyans train in groups, which, on the one hand, is great, of course - fast running in a company is always easier. But, on the other hand, there is a huge minus in this - they lack an individual approach. We all know the running “rule of three Ps” (consistency, gradualness and constancy): in training, go from simple to complex, gradually increasing the load. It's the opposite here: just starting to train, the Kenyan immediately joins the group that runs at the pace of the strongest, and, of course, endures with them to the last. This is the reason why many Kenyan runners get injured.

Discipline is going out for a run and forcing yourself to stick to the plan. And the local approach is to go out and work to the fullest. Since Kenyans do not have the Internet and communications, of course, they also do not read any special literature, they will learn all the rules of running from the older generation. They believe that if they kill themselves in training, they will run faster, but of course, this more often leads to the opposite result: many get injured or “run over”. But I would not want to generalize, of course, because I also met competent runners there.

You should not think that this is an exclusively Kenyan problem: in Russia, too, they “run across”. It seems to me for high results colossal loads are not necessary, a cold head plays a more important role. The ability to do the right thing, and not the way emotions dictate to you, is also discipline.

• In training
• Massage

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Recovery?

Kenyans are not recovering. They eat natural food, sleep as much as they need, and massage themselves - that's all. They are not specifically taught massage anywhere, this skill is passed on from generation to generation of runners.

Naturally, they do not use any dietary supplements - they simply do not exist, they would, everyone would be happy to drink. And there can be no talk of doping here - it's just ridiculous in their position, no one has enough money even for authorized reducing agents, not to mention illegal drugs. One girl brought a jar of isotonic from Europe and brought it after a workout. Everyone sat down at the table, read the word recovery on the label, put it in cups with the words: “Well, now we will recover!”

I took a pack of amino acids with me to Kenya, because I was afraid that I would not be able to get enough proteins from their food, but I never touched them. As a result, I left everything to the guys, and recently they wrote to me that these pills are just magic and help them a lot in recovery.

None of my new friends bother with their pulse. Some of them don't even know what it is.

Maina asked: "If I have high heart rate after the cut, is it good or bad? What does this mean, can you explain to me? Once I recommended that the girl put her hand on her heart to measure her pulse after a workout. "I do not feel anything!" she said, placing her hand on the right side of her chest. They do not need all this knowledge about the pulse - Kenyans know how to feel their body well. I was convinced of this when I ran evening recovery crosses with them - they often took place at a clear pace of 6:00-7:00 min / km. I have never run so slowly before. I must say, the image of a Kenyan runner who turns inside out in training in the morning and trudges like a turtle in the evening is hard to fit in my head: some two extremes. But it is so!

I am convinced that conditions play a big role in the preparation of an athlete. Of course, the reasons fast run There are a lot of Kenyans, but their conditions for training are what plays by no means the last role. Even I somehow managed to run 210 kilometers in a week and, most surprisingly, it was relatively easy.

• We collect tea
• Eating bananas at Elam's house
• In training

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Nutrition

No one here has refrigerators - they buy meat in the market and cook it right away, they don’t buy fish at all - there is nowhere to breed it, and if you bring it from other regions, it will quickly deteriorate. Anything that spoils quickly, they eat right away. Meat is rarely eaten because it costs good money. We ate meat - goat - for dinner every two days.

They also do not eat cheese, they have not been used to it since childhood - it quickly deteriorates and is difficult to get. Maina said that even when he was in Europe, if he eats spaghetti, he never adds parmesan. They drink only black tea, green tea is not tolerated. And Elam, for example, had never eaten pizza, and he was terribly interested in trying it.

One weekend, Maina, Elam and I went to Nairobi, where we stopped by Domino's Pizza. We ordered a huge pizza and ate it to our heart's content. The next day, everyone's stomach twisted to varying degrees. We thought, well, there's nothing to be done, but it was delicious.

A week later we went to collect tea, and on the way back I offered to treat them. In search of a cafe, we again stumbled upon a pizzeria. Elam hesitated. It was obvious that he wanted to eat pizza again, but at the same time he was afraid of the consequences. They discussed something with Maina for a long time and in the end decided: “We need to finally make sure: last time we were not lucky with pizza, or this food, in principle, does not suit our stomach.” “Is there pizza without cheese?” Elam continued to get nervous. I explained to him that pizza without cheese is not pizza.

In the end, we took even more pizza, ate too much, and took it home. For some reason, the children didn’t like pizza, and Kellen didn’t really like it either. The next day, Maina and I were invigorated, but Elam did not show up for training for the next three days. When we met again, he told me: “No matter how much I ask, I conjure you, never buy me pizza again!”

Once again, after completion international marathon, sports fans shrug their shoulders in bewilderment. Again, predictably, Kenyan runners rose to the podium.

The last Chisinau marathon was no exception. Benjamin from Kenya was the first to finish. Kiprop Serem, which not only won, but also set a track record.

What is their secret? How do they do it?

It turns out that no one keeps secrets. Come to Kenya. Train with local athletes. Eat with them at the same table, and you will see how they become champions. But there are several factors that make Kenyan runners the best in the world.

1. Place of birth

Not every runner from Kenya becomes a champion. It turns out that without exception, all runners who have achieved success at international starts and Olympic Games, were born, raised and trained in the Kenyan town of Eldoret or in its vicinity. The city is located almost on the equator. Altitude 2000 m above sea level. Air temperature all year round 23-25 ​​degrees. The sun always rises at 7 am and sets at 7 pm. There are practically no precipitations. There is no industry. The air is purest.

2. Hard work from birth

In the 90s, physiologists conducted a comparative examination of Kenyan and Finnish children, and did not find any physiological differences. Children are born exactly the same. Why such a difference in adulthood?

It's all about living and working conditions. Kenyan children do not sit for hours in front of TVs and computers. They simply don't have them. They do not use the elevator and public transport. All movement is on foot, running or cycling. 12-15 kilometers a day to school and back is normal. And everyone, without exception, is busy with hard physical work. It's a matter of simple survival. 60% of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. 7-8 year old children work on a par with adults. And when at the age of 15-17 they start serious training, their body is already ready for overload.

3. Natural food

Everything Kenyans eat runs around on their own feet. These are goats, cows, chickens. Vegetables grow in their garden, which must be looked after. Nobody has refrigerators. The food is always natural, freshly prepared and delicious. Kenyans don't fry food. They prefer to cook and bake. There are no reservoirs. Therefore, there are no fish dishes on the table.

4. Training in mid-altitude conditions

All training camps and running tracks located at an altitude of 2000-2400 meters. Therefore, the athletes who live and train there have a high level of red blood cells, which gives them a huge advantage in long distance running. Kenyan athletes do not use illegal drugs. Everything that doping gives is already incorporated in them by nature.

The ground on which the training takes place resembles a cinder track of a stadium. After rain, such a coating becomes elastic like tartan, but retains all the advantages of natural ground, which protects against injuries that are inevitable on asphalt surfaces with large training volumes.

5. Running as a way to succeed in life

Most of the people of Eldoret live in dire poverty. Running is the only way to escape poverty. Running does not require additional costs for training. Some beginners don't even have shoes and train barefoot.

Under Eltoreto there is an elite area in which they built their houses famous runners. High-class athletes live in decent cottages, and the elite live in two-three-story houses.

When aspiring athletes see that their idols' living conditions are different from those of the majority of the population, simply the desire to run fast becomes a lifelong goal.

6. Strongest competition

340 Kenyan runners have qualified for Olympic marathon in London. And only three athletes could go. In such fierce competition, only the strongest survive. We see them regularly on the top steps of the podium.

7. Group workouts

Kenyan runners don't train alone. Groups of 50-80 people are formed for training races. Training in such a group turns into a competition every time. The weak try to hold on to the strong and thus grow.

Training camps are open all year round in Kenya for ordinary runners and for professionals. Thousands and thousands of athletes are trained there for competitions. But no one has yet been able to get around the Kenyans.

Come. Try it. Maybe you can do it.