Rejoicing and Sorrowing

           I recently was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Kenya with several of my cross country teammates at Colorado Christian University, as well as a few cross country runners from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). This trip was taken in conjunction with the Harambee Foundation, which was formed two years ago by several runners from UCCS. In December of 2012, six runners from UCCS traveled to Kenya to serve at Grace of God Children’s Orphanage in Kaptagat, Kenya. Moved by the experience, these runners purchased a cow for the orphanage that has served to provide nutrition and income, aiding the orphanage in its quest to be self-supporting. After their departure, they sought to discover more ways to help the orphanage. After trying their hand with a few different projects, they discovered a way to make a huge impact on the community of Kaptagat. The Harambee Foundation began a sponsorship program to send kids to high school. The program has finished its first year in operation, and is looking to expand. This is where we come in...

            The main focus of our time in Kenya was to work on developing the Harambee Foundation’s sponsorship program to send kids to high school. Harambee currently sponsors ten kids to go to high school, all of whom are very hard workers and have big dreams. We were blessed to spend some time with these kids, hear their stories, and interview them in order to share videos of them with their sponsors stateside. We also had the task of selecting ten more children to be sponsored by Harambee. So, our third day in Kenya was filled interviewing kids for sponsorship. Though we would only sponsor ten kids, fifty showed up to apply! This day would end up being incredibly moving for us all.

            Before our arrival in Kenya, a team of local elders had created an application for sponsorship, as well as criteria for how would choose kids. To be sponsored, kids would have to have earned an equivalent of a B- on their primary school exit exams. Beyond that, we focused on the need of each individual, giving priority to those who were orphans, then to those with one parent, those that are disabled, and finally those in other pressing financial circumstances. The truth though, is that every single applicant was in extreme financial need. The majority of our applicants belonged to families who had small farms – ½ to 2 acres – from which they earned their living. Utilized to its maximum output, the most a once acre farm can earn in a year is $200-$300. Once one considers the fact that most Kenyan families have 5-10 (or even more) kids, and high school costs between $500 and $800, one realizes that high school is not even a remote possibility for many kids.

 

Me speaking to the congregation we worshipped with Sunday morning
Photo Cred: Joshua Coon

            One of the kids who story really rocked me was Hilary Kipkorir. Hilary lived alone with his father; his mother had passed away when he was young. Hilary had already completed his first year of high school, but had gone through a lot to do so. Hilary’s dad had sold all of their land in order to obtain enough money to send Hilary to high school. As a result, Hilary’s dad had nothing. He had no way to earn a living without land and he was left to squat on government land. Hilary had received a very high score on his primary school exit exam. In fact, he had the highest score that we saw all day. However, he ended his first year of high school with a C+. We asked him why his grade was so low, and we discovered that despite all of his father’s sacrifices to send him to school, they had run out of money before the end of the year. Thus, Hilary was not able to finish out the school year because of insufficient funds. Hilary’s story was heart-wrenching. The boy was very bright and his father had sacrificed everything for him. Without outside support Hilary would be unable to go to school and his dad’s courageous, yet risky move, would leave the family with nothing. Thankfully, the Harambee Foundation was able to sponsor Hilary.

            Not every story was as emotionally-taxing as that of Hilary. Nevertheless, we had a tough day making decisions about who to sponsor. While we rejoiced with ten kids and their families, we also felt great sorrow for the many who were not selected. Our eyes were opened to the poverty others face and our hearts began to ooze compassion. We felt the burden of these kids and were reminded of the fact that we can make a significant impact in the lives of others right now (as college students), whether that is through the Harambee Foundation or another organization. Overall, this trip was impactful for the community we visited, the friends with whom I traveled, and me. 

To learn more about the Harambee Foundation visit http://pulltogetherforkenya.org/#home1

Shoe4Africa - Toby 2 of 2

In addition to sharing about running, Toby shared some of his own life stories with us. Toby initially came to Kenya to run. Toby was a sub-elite runner looking to refine his trade. However, his time in Kenya also made him into a humanitarian. Toby described himself as selfish during his first visits to Kenya, but his experiences there slowly transformed him.

Much like us, Toby was moved by the hospitality and generosity of the Kenyan people. He told one story of how he had spent Christmas day one year with a friend wandering in the area of the Great Rift Valley that is home to the Maasai people. Toby and his friend had become lost and had spent an entire day without food or water. Eventually, they stumbled upon a tiny shack that was home to a Maasai family. The family warmly welcomed them. The family could not fulfill the typical tradition of slaughtering a sheep/goat for a special guest because they did not have any. In its place though, they killed their only chicken for their guests. This family that had next to nothing – living in a shack with dirt floors, and not even owning any cattle – slaughtered their prized chicken for their wealthy, muzungu guest and his friend. The convicting fact is that the Maasai family gave everything they owned without abandon, while Toby readily admitted that if two Africans arrived at his door in New York City, he probably would not have answered, and if he had, he would not have shared his prized belongings with them. I, too, give meagerly and keep most of my wealth for myself. Whether Kenyan hospitality is born out of selfless generosity or just cultural tradition, I have a lot to learn from the Kenyans about welcoming and giving to others. I have a long way to go to treat others as royalty as the Kenyans do to their foreign guests.

 

Toby talking to the group
Photo Cred: Joshua Coon

Toby also shared another story with us. In 1999 (or maybe it was earlier than ‘99), Toby was walking on the beach in Zanzibar when he was attacked by two men, one with a bat and the other with a machete. The man with the machete swung at Toby, hacking into his head and his hand, which he was using to shield himself. Toby was then knocked unconscious by the bat. Upon waking up, Toby was bleeding profusely and one of the men was trying to steal Toby’s shoe off his foot. The man ran off with one of Toby’s shoes, and Toby stood up on his feet, and began to run into town in search of a clinic. Toby eventually found a clinic, where he received very remedial treatment. While he was there, the doctor told him, “This must have happened for a reason…” It would be eleven days before he was able to board a plane to London where he received medical treatment that saved his life. Toby realized that it was only a result of his birthplace that he was able to receive medical treatment to save his life. Had he been born in Kenya, he would have died as a result of his accident.

Flash-forward. Toby remained in Kenya during the post-election violence that engulfed the nation in 2007-08. Toby tried to be a peacemaker between the warring Kikuyu and Kalenjin people. He was able to save the lives of a handful of individuals, but could do little to overcome the immense violence that warred around him. During this violence, a church not far from Iten was burned to the ground, killing fifty individuals inside. Toby met a mother whose baby was burned in the fire. The woman said, “this must have happened for a reason.” Toby tried to tell her that sometime things just happen, and there was not necessarily a reason for such tragic violence. Then Toby had a revelation. Toby remember what the doctor in Zanzibar had told him and he realized that he was called to do something. Not long after the incident, a few of Toby’s friends asked him to build a hospital. While Toby did not personally have the money to undertake such a task, he realized that he did have connections and resources, as a privileged Westerner, and could make the effort to undertake the project. Toby wanted to grant Kenyans the same access to medical care that he has received solely because of his birth in a Western nation. Toby set out on a mission to build the hospital, pursuing this endeavor through an organization he founded called Shoe4Africa (in memory of the shoe that was stolen off his foot in Zanzibar, which had lead to the birth of this mission).

Toby’s multi-hundred million dollar hospital in Eldoret, which will be the largest children’s hospital in Eastern Africa, is scheduled to open this year. In addition to building the hospital, Toby has used his foundation to build a handful of schools. Toby is showing that a compassionate heart and unwillingness to back down from a challenge, can make a world of impact in the lives of others. Toby’s story was inspiring, convicting and challenging. He reminded me of my privilege and the immense resources at my fingertips. I hope that I can learn from Toby’s legacy and love others to the same degree he does.

Running the Kenyan Way - Toby 1 of 2

During one of our days in Kenya, we visited Iten, the home of many of the fastest distance runners in history. In fact, running is the primary industry in Iten. Runners from the surrounding area in Kenya, and even international runners, are lured to this city in pursuit of grand dreams. While in Iten, we met some unbelievably fast runners, and we witnessed a culture that embraces running as a way of life and as a doorway to open opportunities. We also met an American/Icelander/Dutch/English ex-pat that shared a lot of wisdom with us. His name was Toby Tanser.

Toby is a tall, lanky muzungu with flowing silver hair. Toby is forty-something years old, and posses a wealth of experiences. He carries himself in a humble, down-to-earth manner, yet comes across as slightly mysterious. It is not too common to meet a Westerner that has taken to living in the heart of Africa. Additionally, Toby's background came across as a mystery as he had been born in Iceland, but had spent a significant portion of his life living in Holland, England and New York City. In many ways, Toby reminded me of Caballo Blanco from the popular running novel Born to Run. In any case,  Toby saw us in Iten and invited us to tour the High Altitude Training Center, at which he works. While we were there Toby also shared with us some knowledge he had gained about Kenyan running. Toby's etic perspective was highly valuable since he was able to relate Kenyan training to western methods, and provide us with wisdom that we would be able to understand.

Some really fast Kenyans we watched at the track in Eldoret
These guys ran 10 x mile at 4:40 at 7000ft elev.
Photo Cred: Joshua Coon

Toby taught us that Kenyans that running as a business. Running affords Kenyans opportunities that they wouldn't otherwise have. Running can provide one with astronomically more money than they could earn in any other career in Kenya. (Winning a major marathon or a Diamond League track race can earn one a cash purse in excess of $100,000.) Running also provides many Kenyans the opportunity to gain a college education in the United States while on scholarship. Moreover, running is often pursue for these opportunities alone. Once a Kenyan runner's career is over, he/she is unlikely to continue running. Running is not a hobby sport in Kenya like it is in the U.S.

We also learned that Kenyans approach training differently than do Americans. In many ways, they approach training with a more relaxed approach than do Kenyans. When an American begins a workout, he/she is set on finishing the workout regardless of any obstacles that come his/her way. An American will run much slower than planned if that is what it takes to finish a workout. Meanwhile, a Kenyan runner is not set on "finishing" the workout, but rather on running as fast as he/she can for as long as possible. Thus, a Kenyan runner will aim to hit a goal pace for as long as possible and once he/she calls off the pace, the workout will be called. Over time, Kenyan runners will try to complete more and more of the workout. Furthermore, when a Kenyan runner has a bad day, he/she does not read into their difficulty, but rather accepts that bad days happen and training. He/she resolves to return later in the work and try again. Meanwhile, an American distance runner tends to stress over a bad day and look for an explanation to his/her troubles. The stress usually only hurts an American runner when there may not have even been any problem to analyze to begin with.

Bilboard in Eldoret, which is the regional hub near Iten
Photo Cred: Joshua Coon

Kenyans also try to make training difficult. A Kenyan will run in sweats or tights and a jacket even when it is hot out in order to make training harder. Toby also noted that he has met Kenyans that train in shoes that are three sizes too big to make running uncomfortable. That way when a Kenyan shows up to the start line on race day with shoes that fit and lightweight, breathable clothing, the race feels much easier. 

Kenyans also eat well. The Kenyan diet is very simple: ugali (a pure carbohydrate made from corn), chapati (a delicious tortilla-like bread), kale, rice, beans, some meat, and other fresh fruit and veggies.  While the Kenyan diet is not nearly as diverse as the typical American diet, the Kenyan way of eating seems to be very beneficial for runners.  All of this food comes straight off the farm without being refrigerated, frozen, preserved or shipped long distances, and thus it contains the maximum amount of nutrients.

Arch upon entrance to Iten
Photo Cred: Joshua Coon

Furthermore, Toby shared that Kenyans have a tremendous confidence in themselves and their ability.  All of these factors plus the high altitude, soft dirt roads, and stifling competition allow Kenyans to excel in distance running. While each of these factors many not be enormous, it seems that when combined, these factors create a formula for success. 

If interested in learning more about running the Kenyan way, check out Toby's books Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way and  More Fire: How to Run the Kenyan Way.