In April, Kelvin Kiptum clocked the third-fastest marathon in the history of the sport at the London Marathon. He’s from Kenya. Hellen Obiri won the 127th Boston Marathon in one of the most exciting women’s races in history. She’s from Kenya. And Eliud Kipchoge, considered the best marathoner of all time, missed a water station and hiccuped his Boston marathon performance, but remains the greatest runner of our time. Yes, he’s from Kenya.
It’s widely understood that Kenya has produced, is developing, and will continue to develop many of the world’s fastest and most formidable runners on Earth. But why? This question has been prodded and churned by many professionals, along many disciplines, and the answer is complicated and multivalent. But if there is one common denominator, in one specific location in Kenya, where champions are made, it’s in the Rift Valley of Kenya. And, for many champions? It’s the coach Patrick Sang.
In We Share the Sun: The Incredible Journey of Kenya’s Legendary Running Coach Patrick Sang and the Fastest Runners on Earth (Pegasus Books, 2023), sportswriter Sarah Gearhart takes…
