Road races and a tired kiplagat

What you need to know:

  • Some current and former runners might use his latest fiat to argue that Mr Kiplagat has lost stamina and should drop out of office. After all, 19 years is a long time and those who were born when he assumed office are already winning medals

Even after so many years, I am yet to know how he found out that we did not participate in the road race, considering that it involved half the school and he was not running, but was just taking a stroll after the students.

I have to admit: Unlike the Kenyan athlete who after winning a race at some international meet affirmed to the media that running runs in her family because “my great-grandfather was a racist, my grandfather was a racist, my father was a racist and I am also a racist,” I am not a racist — in any sense of the word.

Thus, when that teacher — he was either the games master or the teacher on duty that week — figured that we had to go for a road race when I was in secondary school, I tried to wriggle my way out, but eventually had to go the distance.

Probably we were not fit and he wanted us to be, but the distance we were to cover was exceptionally long, and the road was very dusty. So, together with other students who were also not “racists”, we connived to beat the system and went ahead of everybody else till we reached a certain bridge and decided to literally cool our heels under it and later ran back to school.

But shock was on us the following day when the teacher walked into our respective classes and called us out, one by one, and not only told us that we avoided the previous day’s road race, but also informed us we had to cover the whole distance, with him coolly walking after us like he had done the previous day.

That incident happened many years ago, when Athletics Kenya, the body that Isaiah Kiplagat has been heading since 1992, was still called Kenya Amateur Athletics Association, and Kenyans had not “discovered” road races, which seem to have incensed him so much that he is planning to do something about them.

The other day, he was quoted as saying that these numerous road races that are held almost every other weekend are tiring our athletes and AK is not just going to sit back and look as the athletes suffer burnouts.

There is no denying that there is a breakout of road races, some of which are even organised by AK officials. And, if it is indeed true that they are tiring the athletes and compromising the country’s chances of winning medals, then they should be banned just as he implied.

Even as he says that they (the road races, not AK officials) are tiring the participants, some of the country’s top athletes were discovered through them.

Also, participation is voluntary and we are yet to hear of a road race where athletes, top or bottom, were forced to participate, or were threatened with punishment if they did not.

Ideally, participants register, and if anything, the tired athletes can opt out just like other students and I did during our school days — only that no teacher will force them to run again with him walking coolly behind them to ensure that they finish.

Some current and former “racists” might use his latest fiat to say that Mr Kiplagat has lost stamina and should drop out of office. After all, 19 years is a long time and those who were born when he assumed office are already winning medals for the country.

Even though he has been saying now and again that he is on his final lap (of honour) only to reappear at the starting point when an election is called, his latest warning, though a demonstration that he is not only tired but has lost touch with reality, should not be used against him.

But, he should be reminded AK officials are just as guilty when it comes to these road races.

Thus, before he bans corporate bodies from sponsoring or organising road races for charity or any other reasons, he should consider banning himself from running for office again — and also banning his officials and himself from associating with, being closely-related to or organising road races in their villages or home towns.