Sabastian Sawe’s recent sub-two-hour marathon run was another reminder that Kenya still rules long-distance running. But a major new global study suggests that this picture is incomplete. Kenya’s grip on the marathon appears strongest just in youth, then fades sharply as runners grow older. The Star spoke to researchers who analysed records of more than one million marathon runners over five years. They found that Kenyans and Ethiopians lead the world only between ages 20 and 39. Then the tables turn. After age 40, marathon runners from the United States, Japan, Germany and Switzerland dominate the road.
Nature’s Scientific Reports recently published this analysis.