The African running phenomenon appears to have developed out of sheer simplicity and accessibility. Running costs next to nothing. So what sport do the Africans take up when they have no money for equipment and no access to sporting institutions? Well running of course. In addition to this reason it has also been a necessary skill for longer than it has been in western societies. In Australia and America we stopped needing to run a long time ago. In Kenya people have been travelling on foot right up until today. They have to walk places, there is persistence hunting, nomadic tribal traditions etc. It makes sense then that running is highly valued in a nation where it is just another everyday activity. The skill of running long distances in parts of east Africa is like the skills of driving, banking, washing dishes or using a computer to a western city slicker.
http://www.endlesshumanpotential.com/african-running-phenomenon.htmlThe main reason the subject caught my eye was because only last week one of our tv news channels here in the UK had a feature on the subject of young African girls , age 11 or so upwards, and their pride in getting special running training. That's especially those at high altitude which gives them an advantage when running at lower altitude.