The most famous Kalenjin runner of them all would agree. Kip Keino introduced the world to Kenyan runners during the 1968 Olympics when he buried the legendary American miler Jim Ryun in the 1,500 meters. Most of our runners are naturally born athletes. We have only to work on improvement, the technical part of it. We feel that running is our blood.
Manners theorizes that running got into their blood through a Darwinian process.
Although most Kalenjin are farmers now, their traditional livelihood had been herding. The faster the runner, the bigger his herd, the more wives he could afford to buy, and therefore the more descendents that carried on his genes. A group of youths would raid a distant tribe and try to hustle their steers home. The fastest runners brought home the livestock, earning the affection of the local maidens. The slowest runners ended up with spears in their backs and no descendents.