All the pro athletes in the Run2gether camp here in Kiambogo are extremely thin and well trained. They weigh between 51 kg (112 pounds) and 58 kg (128 pounds). To compare, I’m 180 cm (71 inches) and weigh roughly 68 kg (150 pounds). But I never could have imagined the amount of food that these guys can put away. I’m running here about the same distance that they are (though at a different speed), yet I’m only eating 50% at the most of what they are. The fact is that everything they eat is 100% healthy: ugali (cornmeal), rice, chapati, and potatoes, along with a colorful assortment of fruit and vegetables. Plus, there are beans and cabbage every day. Their only treat is the highly sweet chai tea, which they drink mornings and afternoons.

 

For years now people have speculated about a “running gene”. Well, there isn’t one. Renowned scientists have sought in vain, even here in Kiambogo. But if you grow up eating vegetables grown in your own garden and drinking the milk in your tea from your own cow, and having an egg every now and then from your own hen, it’s clear that your body will develop differently than our bodies in Europe, where over 85% of what’s offered at the supermarket is trash.
Then, of course, there’s the 12K walk to school and daily chores all at an altitude of 2,400 meters (7,800 feet). That’s what life looks like in the home of champions. 😳☀️☺️

Rafael Treite
19 December 2015
Kiambogo, Kenya