Say “Kenyan” and every athlete in the world thinks the same thing: Great runners. It’s not a recent phenomenon. I remember watching Kip Keino on TV winning the 1500 meters at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, beating the great American miler Jim Ryun. Thirty-six years later, I became a 12-year-old again for a few minutes when I got to meet Keino himself in his homeland at the Fila Discovery Races, sort of an unofficial mini-Olympics for grade-school kids in the heart of Kenya’s eastern highlands running mecca. By now, of course, the Kenyans were known as the world’s greatest marathoners, and one by one, I got to meet them, break bread with their coach, even run with them. It was a fantastic opportunity: One week to examine this unique running culture close-up. Could I discover some of their secrets?