NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... about $ 1, 200 a year, which is a low number compared to most countries of the world with superior athletes. With this in mind, the prospect of making $ 10, 000 a year as a second or third-rank runner is very nice to most young Kenyans. "The availability, first of U. S.
college scholarships and now prize money and appearance fees, has had a demonstrable effect in boosting interest and participation throughout the country. " (Engine, 3) As runners train and compete in worldwide races, they quickly accumulate wealth and fame in their home country. With this talk of poverty like conditions there is some information that should be known about Kenya before moving on. Kenya, compared with other African countries, is fairly supplied with basic necessities, which is different from most countries that could otherwise produce great runners. Infant mortality is among the lowest in Africa and life expectancy and literacy among the highest. More that 85 % of all children attend at least a few years of primary school and the government is able to support the schools, which provides a solid base for athletics.
So Kenya is at least prosperous enough to provide athletic opportunities for the youth. Probably the most important reason the youth get involved with running, is because they have great role models, like Kip Keino, to look up to. Kip Keino gained fame in Kenya when he brought home the first gold medals in the country's history in 1968 and 1972. Keino set a pattern of mountain training and healthy living that future African runners would follow. Since his great success, Keino has given back to the community from which he came by founding an orphanage. Kenyan culture is different from Western culture in that, it has yet to embrace their runners as heroes, although they are very proud of them, the expect them to train hard, work hard, and pay back to the communities. (Tuttle, par. 9) Athletes like Kip Keino provide healthy responsible role models for young Kenyans to look up to and emulate.
It is almost certain that the early participation of the youth in Kenya contributes to their world supremacy of long distance running. What can't be ignored, however, is the controversial subject of genetic superiority of these runners. When the subject of Kenyan domination in long distance running comes up, it is not long until genetics is brought with along with it. The subject of genetics has long been a touchy one, and was only made more controversial with Charles Murray's infamous book The Bell Curve, which made the argument that people of African decent lag behind whites in intelligence.
Some think that if you buy into the genetic explanation for the physical attributes of Kenyan runners, then you also must buy into Murray's argument too. (Aid, par. 12) Controversial or not, the genetic factor deserves to be looked at in this case. So what is the genetic argument for Kenyan supremacy? It starts with evolution and the belief that over time, the people of Kenya have adapted to such a degree to their physical environment that their bodies are perfect for the sport of distance running. Joseph Graves, Jr.
says in his book, The Emperor's New Clothes: Theories of Race at the Millennium, "Evolution has shaped body types and in part athletic possibilities... Don't expect and Eskimo to show up on an NBA court or a Watusi to win the world weightlifting championship. " (q. in Engine 8) This evolution, however, makes Kenyans vastly different genetically compared to Western Africans who consistently dominate sprinting type races, but that is a whole other argument. Since Africa is the ancestral home of modern humans, black Africans have more genetic variation than any other population in any other geographic region. (Sands, 60) Many East and North Africans, who share genetic and evolutionary history, have slim, short ectomorphic bodies with large capacity lungs and an abundance of slow twitch muscle fibers - an ideal profile for endurance sports. (Sands, 63) But even with scientific evidence the East and North Africans are genetically built to run long distances well, there are still doubters who have racially motivated reasons why genetics is not the answer.
So it will be an ongoing debate on whether or not genetics is a factor in this argument. So what exactly is it that makes Kenyan runners so superior in the world of long distance running? The exact reason may never be known, but there are many interesting factors that, when put together, offer a pretty clear picture as to the dominance of these runners. The Great Rift Valley, with its equatorial location and high elevation, provides and ideal training ground. The support from the country is immense, encouraging aspiring runners to go for the glory.
This support leads to the youth in Kenya starting to run and train at an early age. The financial opportunities as compared to the GNP in Kenya are staggering and offer great incentive to runners. There exists great athlete role models, like Kip Keino, who give back to their communities and provide a healthy and positive example for all people in Kenya. Lastly, there is the genetic evidence of a Kenyan body that was molded by evolution, by way of the physical environment of Kenya, to excel in endurance sports is a glaring detail in this argument. This is a topic that is still up for debate and will be for many years, but with all of the above factors combined, you can see why the Kenyans run like the wind. Bibliography Aid, Hisham. (2000, October 15) Black Athletic Prowess: Nature or Nurture? [Internet].
web [ 4 November, 2001 ] Aiken, Lewis R. Human Differences. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999. Engine, Jon. (2001, November 6) Born to Run? [Internet].
web [ 6 November, 2001 ] Kane, Martin, "An Assessment of Black Is Best, " Sports Illustrated, Jan. 18, 1971, 72 - 83. Laden, Tim. (2001, September 12) The dominance of Kenyan marathoners begins with countless miles in the hills of home. [Internet]. web distance/ [ 4 November, 2001 ] Marks, Jonathan. Human Biodiversity: Genes, Race, and History. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1995. Robert R.
Sands, ed. Anthropology, Sport, and Culture. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1999. Thomas, Barbara P.
Politics, Participation, and Poverty: Development through Self-Help in Kenya. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1985. Tuttle, Kate. (2000, August 29) Out of Kenya. [Internet]. web [ 4 November, 2001 ] Wiggins, David K.
Glory Bound: Black Athletes in a White America. 1 st ed. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1997.
Free research essays on topics related to: november 2001, long distance, kenya, physical environment, role models
Research essay sample on Role Models Physical Environment
