What makes ethiopians such good runners

The only light comes from the occasional bare bulb hanging outside a kiosk. By the seventh or eighth rep, I have learned that the hilltop comes faster if you watch your feet, not the summit. After an hour, Hailye stops. He was not wrong. This training session was the start of the time — six months or so after starting fieldwork with Ethiopian long-distance runners in Addis Ababa — when Fasil started telling me I was habesha, a term denoting unified, proud Ethiopia.

Ethiopian and Kenyan running success is normally explained deterministically as originating in genetics and altitude by sports scientists or as a result of abject poverty. In fact, as was often explained to me, it was impossible for the poorest people to try to become runners, because they were unable to devote the necessary time to rest or eat good enough food. The runners I lived and trained with did not believe in talent. They spent hours planning training sessions, seeking the right combination of environment and company for the maximum benefit.

The chill of the forest against the heat of Akaki, some metres lower. It was not unusual for us to sit in a bus for two hours to get to training and take four hours to struggle home again. Conversations on the relative merits of locations could go on for hours. On one occasion, I woke up on Saturday morning to find Teklemariam — who lived 20km away in Legetafo — vigorously washing his face at the outdoor tap in our compound.

Places are often imbued with importance because of the people who train, or trained, there. Entoto, for instance, is associated with Haile Gebrselassie , whom I was told repeatedly used to run there every morning at 5. Others are significant for particular air qualities. One area of the forest was referred to as Boston, a marathon renowned for being cold, because it felt colder than other parts of the forest and because runners often trained there when they prepared for Boston marathon.

I was told that this was the altitude, although it was closer to 2, metres. Wilber Yannis P. Pitsiladis Similar articles in PubMed. Pitsiladis Similar articles in Google Scholar. Access brought to you by:. Powered by: PubFactory. Sign in to annotate. Delete Cancel Save. Cancel Save. View Expanded. View Table.

View Full Size. Arinze Esomnofu is a Nigerian media professional, content editor and a freelance journalist. He is currently the country manager for Flashscore Nigeria. Skip to main content. Desisa surged late to grab the lead then withstood a finishing kick from Kitata to win the Why this matters Since bursting on the scene at the Mexico City Summer Olympics, Kenyan and Ethiopian distance runners have dominated.

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