The secret of victory of the new king VM Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2023

"Some people think that Kenyans are favored by God for their superior physical ability to run marathons. But I think the biggest reason for our success is training every day properly. I am a member of a club of 25 people. Every day, we run 25 kilometers in the morning, then walk another 15 kilometers in the afternoon, and only take Sundays off every week," Ezekiel said.

In Kenya, running is the way to survive. Every day, the boys and girls in the villages run to school far away from where they live to go to school. Good runners will have the opportunity to earn huge sponsorships. It is a life-changing dream in a country with high unemployment. There are 30,000 marathon runners in Kenya, but only 1 or 2% of them have the opportunity to go abroad to compete and "hunt" for prizes, according to data from energy gel company Dever.

In fact, Kenyans may not have been given the physical superiority to be running machines. But the truth is that this country converges many factors to practice this subject. Besides the hereditary factor, Kenya possesses natural hilly areas, most of the territory is at least 1,800 m above sea level.

This is the ideal environment to practice running. Because thin air forces the body to work harder to get oxygen, thereby increasing endurance and cardiovascular health. According to CNN, most of Kenya's successful runners come from the Kalenjins and Nandis tribes living in the west of the country, with an average altitude of nearly 2,500m above sea level.

"Training for marathons in the city is not a good idea. In Kenya, our workouts take place in the forest, where there is fresh air, less dust. The more densely populated areas, the better to avoid. Maybe. Therefore, I am allergic to harmful air such as cigarette smoke. The diet is nothing special. We usually cook by ourselves when we go abroad to compete, just limit our snacks. , we only drink filtered water. This is verified by our own body. Filtered water provides the most oxygen to the body. That's why when using electrolyte water, my stomach immediately response," Ezekiel recounts.

Another reason for the growth of running in Kenya is that training knowledge is always shared in the spirit of connection. According to Ezekiel, he noticed the warm-up and running of some Vietnamese runners at MetaSports Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2023. According to him, these athletes have qualities but lack of training, so their achievements are limited.

"I think in Asia many countries have come to Kenya to learn about running. That's why China or Japan have good runners. And in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand or Vietnam, The movement has not really blossomed. In the future, there will be more runners from Africa to Vietnam to compete. It is also possible that Vietnamese runners will go abroad to compete. The spirit of running is to connect and bring people. together," Ezekiel said.

The names of famous runners like Eliud Kipchoge, Wilson Kipsang or Brigid Kosgei have made Kenya a gold mine for long-distance runners. The East African country has become a destination for sports equipment companies, sponsors and scouts. Every year, the biggest marathons here take place like festivals. And the bright future lies ahead of the winners.

Ezekiel himself just won $10,000 from the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. He cites a part to help the family. The rest is reinvested in training and tournament costs according to the advice of the management company. This helps African athletes solve the problem of building a career plan, thereby focusing on competition.

Besides, Ezekiel also believes that technology plays an important role in exercise. He himself has used pressure baths or high-pressure oxygen chambers to support the recovery process. "Technology is still expensive and not every runner in Kenya has access to such machines. But I think technology will become increasingly important in training and marathon competition," he said.

Ezekiel ran five marathons with a sub 2:10 achievement, and had a PR (best personal achievement) of 2 hours 8 minutes 41 seconds when he finished fifth in the Ljubljana Marathon, Slovenia on October 27, 2019. According to the World Athletics rankings, Ezekiel is currently 556th in the world in the men's marathon.