Insight into life of Kenyan runners
Published on: Sunday, October 15, 2017
WHEN 26-year-old Ghadaffy Karanja took part in the Hongkod Koisaan 10km run, recently, he ran like it was the race of his life.Never mind if the prize money was just RM800 for finishing first for the second year in a row.The Kenyan runner must run to survive. It is a job. It is his life.
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A week before flying to Kota Kinabalu he took part in a run in Singapore and another week before that, he raced against some of the region's strong runners in Bogor, Indonesia. He emerged champion in both events.Minus his flight ticket, one-night accommodation, local transport and food while in the city for the race held in Penampang on July 23, Ghadaffy would not have much left of the prize money he won. It is for this reason that he has to keep competing in as many runs possible. He does it by searching the internet for upcoming running events organised not only in Malaysia but also in the neighbouring countries before selecting the ones he feels he can win or runs which offer an attractive prize money.
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Ghadaffy is one of many Kenyans who have left their country to compete in running events all over the world. Although glory and prize money are what they are after, many of them made the decision to escape poverty by doing what they do best: long distance running.
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Kenyans are known to dominate long distance running in the world stages. Names like Dennis Kimetto, a former subsistence farmer, who is the world record holder in marathon after clocking 2:02:57 at the 2014 Berlin Marathon and the first to break 2:03 for the distance set by fellow countryman Wilson Kipsang a year earlier heads a long list of fastest runners from the East African country.Another is Mary Keitany, a world-class marathoner from Kenya who is a multiple winner of the New York City and London marathons. Her personal best of 2:17:01 makes her the second fastest female marathoner in history.There have even been studies on what makes many East Africans good at long distance running with some scientists and sport gurus offering all sorts of theories.If he was in the list at all, Ghadaffy would probably be hundreds if not thousands of rungs below. But that does not stop him of dreaming to become a world champion. As he is determined to accomplish it through hard work."That's my goal. I've never taken a job in my life. This is what I do. So, naturally, I want to be a world champion," he said, but admits that he is still far from reaching a standard where he can compete in the world stage.Born in Kiambu, Ghadaffy actually had other plans in life after completing his studies but hardships and economic challenges in a heavily populated country of 48 million people forced him to explore other options. He started taking up running seriously three years ago and soon after followed the footsteps of many of his countrymen and women who left their family behind to earn a living from running. He estimates there are thousands of Kenyans who are making this their day job.He has set up a temporary base in Kuala Lumpur and would travel to different destinations almost weekly to take part in runs, all of which are organised by associations, groups and communities. Most of these events offer only small prize money and the runners' run time is not recognised as official by any sport authorities.To earn enough so he can get sustain his life as a travelling professional runner, Ghadaffy has to run in as many events in a year. More importantly, he must win."I can't afford to lose because losing would mean a waste of money that I need to spend on travelling, accommodation and food," he said.He admits, however, that he has as many losses as victories and considers it as part and parcel of the business.But as much as possible, he wants to be 100 per cent certain he can win an event before deciding to register his participation. After making his selection on which run to compete, he would prepare well for it.His personal training regime is simple. "I just keep myself fit and strong so I can run fast for long periods."Ghadaffy said he earned a total prize money of less than USD20,000 from "countless of competitions" in the region last year and most of the money was spent to keep him competing and the rest sent home to his family.His biggest break would be to compete among the world's best in international marathons such as in London, Berlin, Boston and New York where the top prize money is in multiple digits, not including instant fame and other benefits that come with winning.But he knows that even to compete would cost him a lot of money, not to mention the price of flight tickets and expensive accommodation."More than anything else, I'm not even sure if I can win in these big marathons," he added.But even now in smaller competitions the Kenyan runners may not be able to win and the reason has nothing to do with their running prowess. Ghadaffy's countryman, John Njihia, who also took part in the Hongkod Koisaan run and came second, claimed that local athletics authorities have discouraged run organisers from allowing foreign runners like them to take part in local events.While he believes this is because foreign runners especially from African nations tend to dominate the top prizes, the 30-year-old who has been running in competitions professionally in many countries since he was 16-years-old opines that their knowledge and experience in the sport can benefit the locals."Running in events like these is like going to the office for us. It's also like a business where we have profits and losses. So I think they can learn from us because we have gone through a lot to get to where we are," he said.John is based in Sabah and travels on weekends to take part in running events locally and abroad. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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