Every time there's a major marathon—whether it's Boston, London, Berlin, or the Olympics—you'll notice something remarkable:
Kenyan runners are almost always among the leaders.
This isn't a coincidence.
For decades, scientists have tried to understand why a relatively small region of East Africa continues to produce some of the greatest distance runners in human history.
The answer isn't a single secret. It's a fascinating combination of geography, physiology, culture, and determination.
Many of Kenya's elite runners come from a community known as the Kalenjin,
Here are some of them.
These people have some particular physical characteristics.
The Kalenjin have longer legs and shorter torsos. They come from high-altitude areas, which makes them very efficient at using oxygen.
Some of them also run to escape poverty, training for years with their eyes on millions of dollars.
This is how the result is obtained; a combination of genetics and socio-economic circumstances makes these Kenyans great runners who dominate the big races.