1968, Kenyan athlete kip keino won the men's1500m at the Mexico City Olympic Games and broke the world record of this event. From then on, Kip Kai Nuo's compatriots continued his glory. Up to now, the world records of men's 3000m track race and15km, 20km and 20km road races, as well as the world records or best results of half marathon and full marathon are in the hands of Kenyans.

Most of the best Kenyan athletes come from the mountains of Nan Di in the Rift Valley, or rather from a tribe called Kalenjin, which has a population of nearly 3 million, and 12 of the top 20 middle-distance runners in the world are Kalenjin. In the words of writer John Mannasz, "This is an area with the most concentrated sports achievements in the history of sports."