50 Things to Do Before You Die: Run With A Kenyan

John Thornell & the AmeriKenyan Running Club

Parents surprised to see elite runners at our friendly 5k joked, “There go the top spots.” As tall as the parents and seemingly as light as the students, the Kenyans clearly stood out in the school parking lot. At the start of the race, we announced that there were a few ringers in the crowd and explained the brief history the Kenyans had training with the El Dorado Elementary School students in preparation for the Fun Run and that they were not competing. A sigh of relief from runners was followed with appreciative applause.

The Kenyan connection was made months earlier at a half marathon in San Diego where five of the top 10 finishers were from New Mexico. Three were from Santa Fe. All were Kenyan. Curious about the coincidence and feeling a bit confident after placing in the Masters division and winning prize money for the first time, I decided to check this out. I briefly met athletes from The AmeriKenyan Running Club, their president and secretary.

Soon afterwards, the club contacted me about another coincidence. Learning that I was the race director for an upcoming race, they proposed getting their athletes involved. At first, I couldn’t imagine having world-class runners at a 5k fundraiser for my son’s elementary school. I pictured the Kenyans cleaning up at the awards ceremony and pooped parents going home empty handed. After meeting with the club, we decided to host a series of running clinics with the school to help students prepare for the Fun Run. We had no idea the impact this idea would have on the students or the community.

Though world-class competitors, club athletes participating in the first clinic were immediately inviting, approachable, and charming. After an afternoon of talking and running, everyone was sharing hugs and high-fives.



I introduced a group of 30 Dust Devils to Richard Rono, Abraham Kosgei, Hannah Chepkoech Mitei and Richard Kimeli. I explained, with admiration, the journey these athletes were on, “They have come to the US to race professionally. This is how they support their families in Kenya.” Many Kenyan runners choose to race overseas as it pays better than a job at home. While healthy and young, athletes will leave their families for months at a time with hopes of accumulating enough prize money to build a better life for themselves in Kenya: buy a farm, start a business, put someone through school, or buy a home.

Rono started the clinic by sharing advice with students about race day, “Like an airplane, you have to start slow… then go faster and faster,” he said while raising his hand slowly into the air. “If you go too fast too soon you will get tired and,” his hand dropping to the gym floor, “crash.” Responding to the question of why Kenyans run so fast, Kimeli highlighted the benefits of living at altitude before adding, “Growing up, I would run everywhere: to school or my friend’s house. We didn’t have many cars, so everybody in Kenya ran.” Transportation has improved and the number of schools has increased in Kenya. But for this group of Kenyans, since the age of four or five, it was not uncommon for them to run 6 miles to-and-from school every day. I often think about this, when driving my 9- and 5-year old boys the 2 miles to school.