Week-Long Series On Running With The Kenyans

One man travels to Africa’s running capital to discover why Kenyans are so good.

The Guardian Web site is posting a week-long series by journalist Adharanand Finn who travels to Iten, Kenya to train with a group of elite runners. Finn, a native of England and a married father of three, was on a six-month assignment to “discover the heart of Kenyan running.”

“Who are they? Why are they so good,” he asks.

Finn is a runner and brought along his shoes so that he can join in with the elites. “I’m not yet sure how I’m going to keep up with the Kenyans long enough to find out anything, but I’m going to try,” he writes.

In Iten, Finn finds that the roads are so clogged with runners it upsets the taxi drivers. Strangely enough, however, the town doesn’t even have a proper running track. By spending half a year there, Finn hopes to “find the secret of their success.” He writes that he had never been to Africa before.

For More: The Guardian