asked a weird question on this Kenya running IG:
hey, weird question.. but I think you guys would know. Where are all of the "old Kenyan runners" (let's say 60+ years old). For example, I see tons of photos of older runners in the US, mostly recreational obviously.. but how about Kenyans? I mostly see photos of young guys putting in work, which I understand.. but do people 60+ years old still run often & enter races for fun etc? Or do they have problems running as thy get older, due to all of the mileage they put in when younger? Just wondering if you can provide any insights as to how Kenyan runners, which have the most beautiful form & mindset for running IMHO, function as they get old. Thanks alot!
weird but, just wondering about it.. hope they can provide some info.
edit:
wow they came back with some great info.. look at this reply:
kenya_experience_iten @andrewdarqui Hey Andrew, great question. In summary the answer is that running is are career choice so when it is done with as a viable career option it is done with all together. Very few former runners continue to run just for fun when their competitive days are finished. In rural Kenya there are very very few who run just for enjoyment or health. It is running ares serious training or not at all. In the cities, the emerging middle classes do run as recreation/fun and you see more of what you have typically described from elsewhere. I expect this will grow as Kenya continues to grow economically but it will be a long time until this idea spreads to the rural areas
damn!
Living in a country that's similar to Kenya economically and with a similar national professional sports obsession (cricket in this case), that definitely scans. Many boys play cricket, and there are amateur and pickup cricket games all over the place for young men. But you don't see old people playing. Exercising for its own sake is basically only for the rich and foreign-educated or raised. The gym my gf used to take yoga clients at charges something like $500/month (!). There are people here who can pay that without blinking but not that many. I met a muscle-bound dude last weekend who owns a coffee shop near my house and also a luxury car importer: he's generationally loaded, and good for him. Even middle class people never, ever look like that.
But as the middle class starts to emerge, exercise is spreading as a hobby. The track I run at is in a very rich area but not all the people there are wealthy: plenty show up in old cars or on cheap motorcycles. I saw some young guys doing boxing training together and there are a couple of MMA-type and other gyms in less-than-rich neighborhoods. That will only grow as time goes on. It's only a matter of time before someone opens a Crossfit box here, IMO, and before yoga spreads from the foreign/rich to the middle class.
But that will happen independently of the national sports obsession, much like the response you got from Kenya on IG. Cricket is linked to national identity and aspiration. Casual exercise is linked to leisure time, to sedentariness and the accompanying weight gain and anxiety, and to disposable income.
great post man & thanks for the info!
It's easy to forget, living & growing up in America, that much of the world doesn't have these luxuries: exercise for fun, easy access to good food & clean water, easy access to incredible training facilities around literally every corner, a culture with hundreds of different sports etc.
also regarding middle class people not being muscle bound, it really is an incredible contrast to the US, where even people who can probably be considered living in poverty, can be fairly huge (muscle, fat, etc). I remember they used to have "30 cent cheeseburger wednesdays" at McDonalds, I think. I mean that's ridiculous. Access to "lower quality" food can be pretty easy & cheap: top ramen, pb, protein powders, fast food/junk, foods loaded with sugar/fat .. easy sources of calories. Plus you have gyms everywhere, or people who have garage gyms.
But ya it's good to hear exercise is spreading to the middle class & "below" in these countries. It's good for the economy overall, but beyond that it's just a good outlet. I mean just one example, in the US you can make a living just training/teaching people how to exercise for fun. I mean that in itself is incredible when you think about countries where people don't exercise for fun. I was at the park last night, and this guy had ~15 women (probably moms) doing calisthenics & cardio. He's probably making some decent money doing that a few times per week, those mom's probably feel better & have expanded their circle of friends, they also buy equipment (yoga mats, shoes, workout clothes) and probably try to clean up their diets, health & fitness improves etc. Then they also pass some of those habits off to their children. So just good all around IMHO. The scale of that in the US is *enormous*.
word! pc!
