Eliud Kipchoge – Outsiders
The athletes in the marathon groups we witnessed in Kaptagat live humble, frugal and regimented lives. However, some have it easier than others.
As previously mentioned, Eliud trains under Global Sports Management, a Dutch based company. Global’s compound in Kaptagat provides accommodation and board for most of the athletes under management. The few managed athletes who reside elsewhere tend to be the more successful athletes, such as Eliud, who can afford their own housing, many of them staying in Eldoret and making the commute out to Kaptagat for training. These managed athletes have close relationships with coaches, and are also sponsored, without exception. There are staff in the camp who clean and cook, and the athletes have access to a physiotherapist.
Our principal reason for visiting Kenya was to follow Eliud, and the Global squad, in the lead-up to his attempt at the world record in the Berlin Marathon. Despite seeing Eliud frequently in training, the majority of our contact with athletes in Kaptagat was with another group of athletes living near our accommodation in the Jobb Centre area. Many of these athletes were not under management and came to Kaptagat of their own accord, training with the managed groups in order to attempt to join their ranks.
Life is much more difficult for these athletes. Many support themselves through meagre earnings from races, or survive on whatever support their families can spare to give them. In a neighbouring complex, athletes were paying US$15 per month to rent a tiny room. The Spartan layout of the rooms generally consisted of a single bed, a small set of drawers for clothes and miscellanea, and a small stove in one corner. This was used to prepare basic meals of maize, greens and beans between sessions. These athletes also had to collect their own water and wash their clothes by hand during rest periods.
We had many opportunities to discuss life with these athletes who weren’t under management. They would frequently invite us to join them on runs, or to come to their rooms for chai. When we asked about their relationship to Global, or other managed groups, they referred to themselves as ‘outsiders’. They would generally complete their jogs and recovery runs in small groups or alone, and although not members of the managed teams, they would join in on the workouts with groups like Global. They explained that they normally weren’t invited or welcomed into the group, and the coaches tended not to address them directly, but their presence was tolerated.
Outsiders greatly outnumbered managed athletes in most cases. When we shadowed Eliud and the squad on some long runs, we were very surprised by the typical composition of the group. When we arrived in the darkness, the group assembled outside the compound gates were predominantly outsiders, who waited for Eliud and the Global athletes to exit the camp. The entire group started together, however as the pace quickened Eliud and a small group led the charge, leaving a long line of outsiders strung out in their wake.
Many of the outsiders we spoke to said they had moved away from their families to be in Kaptagat, and their main objective was to train hard, get some good race results, and make the ascent into one of the managed groups. In the intervening period, circumstances were tough. Outsiders were training to a similar degree to the managed athletes, but some had to find work on the side, prepare their own food – often very paltry fare – and equip themselves. They often couldn’t afford new shoes, and many were completing long, intense workouts in shoes any Western runner would consider useless, with holes in the fabric, and virtually no grip left on the soles.
Knowing in advance that this would be the case, I had collected and brought with me around forty pairs of lightly used shoes from different training partners and friends back home in Australia. One of my favourite experiences during our stay in Kaptagat was being able to help these runners by giving them shoes that my friends had deemed finished. Watching the joy flood across their faces as they found a pair that fit was just so gratifying.
One thing that is really astonishing about these outsiders is that many of them would be national champions in most other countries. We spoke to plenty of sub-2:10 marathoners who hadn’t been taken into any of the managed groups and hadn’t found any sponsors. Many of the athletes even asked us if we would be willing to act as their managers and help them obtain entry into international races. This would give them opportunities to win desperately needed money and achieve results that would aid them in finding a position within a managed group.
Despite often struggling to afford rent and food, the outsiders managed to continue scraping by, always appearing happy in the process. Their discipline and determination were inspiring, as was the tight-knit nature of their community. It was awesome to see them training hard together, striving to improve and reach the ranks of the best runners, who by all accounts, have much more comfortable lives. The camaraderie between the outsiders was also great to see: they cooked together, ate together, washed clothes together and spent most of their free time joking around and hanging out, resting to ensure they were recovered and ready to go hard in their next session.
