Like every winter, cross-country races are held all over Europe every weekend and the triumphs of runners from Kenya, an East African nation turned into a world-class sports power thanks to victories, are repeated insistently. of his athletes.<br /> <br /> The history of the triumphs of the runners of Kenya goes back to the decade of the 60s with the emergence of Kipchoge Keino, a member of the Nandi tribe that beat against all odds in the 1,500 meters of the Olympic Games in Mexico68. For this, he had to defeat the great favorite, the American Jim Ryun, who could not stand the lack of oxygen existing at more than 2,200 meters of altitude in the Aztec capital. Since then, the rise to the podium of the Kenyan runners has been constant in Olympic Games and World Championships.<br /> <br /> Why so many Olympic champions in a nation of 27 million inhabitants, belonging to the underdeveloped world?<br /> <br /> The great explanation seems to be (in addition to the traditional physical fitness of the members of their hunting tribes) in the high altitude of the country. The relief of Kenya gradually rises to the north and the center of its geography. The central region is occupied by a gigantic plateau located more than 2,000 meters above sea level, but cut sharply by the Great Crack Valley. In this central area, it is precisely where most of the young runners of Kenya are called to dominate the world ranking of medium and deep distances.