Addressing legends... And the big elephant in the room (and no I'm not talking about the stylish decor
@2runninglodge !)
@bensonkipruto24 ,
@sabastiansawe ,
@kimurgorkotut , Margaret Kiplemboi, Lilian Rengeruk,
@phanuelkoech1500m ,
@emmanuelwanyonyi800m ,
@kipruto_a and their coach, Claudio Beradelli: our Q&A line up 🤩🤯
What was supposed to be 30min morphed into almost 2 hrs as they generously shared their time, stories and wisdom with us, giving us unique insights into the (boring!) life of being at the very top of the running world.
🐘time
The reputation of Kenyan athletics has been severely tarnished over the last decade with recurrent doping scandals. So it's understandable to be suspicious of this group. Indeed if you Google Claudio's name, you will see
@letsrundotcom message boarders ardently stating how was once arrested 'for doping'.
I've known Claudio for 16 years. I've trained under him and I was there when his first athlete got caught. I witnessed the heartbreak of that betrayal. I've seen him threatening to leave Kenya back to Italy. I've seen his athletes begging him to stay. I've heard about further betrayals and framings that saw him behind bars for a week. Scouring of all his digital devices found not one piece of incriminating evident (you message board dicks). I've seen him drag himself back into his car with a bruised heart and soul, following his athletes stride by stride, questioning if it's worth it.
So what is his motivation? He's achieved it all with his athletes. He has nothing to prove. It's the lives of his athletes. He knows each of their stories, the hardship they've come from and the difference they are now making in their families and communities.
I've observed Claudio himself make a difference in the community: supporting
@shoe4africa events, paying for school fees, mending the track from his own pocket. Even supporting a poor, injured British girl when everyone else dropped her.
At the end of the Q&A
@kimurgorkotut asked if we thought Claudio was lucky to have them or vice versa. He currently has some of the finest talent the world has ever seen. But the athletes know themselves how lucky they are to have him...Cont 👇
