The UnITED States has a lot of talented runners around the country?
So why are the U.S not dominats in cross-country running with kenya, ethopia and algeria.
Answers:
How many miles equal ten kilometer?
Spoken like a true American.. :) I'm American too, and it's hard to admit sometimes, but Americans do not always have to be the best at everything.But why Kenya? Most Americans, including myself until fairly recently, cannot find it on the map. Athletes and sports fans alike may well wonder how a single African country produces such consistent results in athletics. What gives Kenyan runners this definite edge of the competition?
Most people believe that it has to do with Kenya's geography. The average altitude throughout Kenya's Western highlands is around 2000 meters (about 400 meters higher than Denver, the "mile high city"). The rarified air at this altitude makes exercise much more difficult than at sea level. On a purely physiological level, altitude training greatly improves fitness, endurance and performance. At higher altitudes, the body increases production of red blood cells, which means that any exercise greatly oxygenates the blood.
This is why international athletes like to go there to train. Training camps were established throughout the area, and are providing highly specialized training for both local and international athletes. Generations of runners trained in Kenya to improve their stamina - and generations of villagers have watched them progress to stardom.
Others have hypothesized that it has to do with their early training, something they eat, their running form, or natural genetics. Who knows what the real reason is? All I know for sure is that I enjoy watching them run and break records..
I agree with the answer above but also, what do us Americans do? We work, go to school, use the computer, go to meetings, family getogethers, drive places. What do the Kenyans have to do? Or the ethopians or anyone in Africa, along with the altitude I think they don't have as much to do. They can't go surf the web, or listen to their ipods. So, they go for a run. What else is their to do? With 99% of their population running to keep from being bored. Someone is going to end up fast.
kenya has higher elevation than the US so they can run longer
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