Many countries have their own sports traditions. The United States has baseball, Brazil has soccer, Canada has hockey, and so forth. However, one of the best kept secrets on the world sports scene has been Kenya’s domination of long distance running. Names like Kiptanui, Tanui, and Keino are only known among the most avid sports fans. Kenya, a small African country roughly the size of Texas, has been dominating the long distance scene since Kip Keino won his first gold medal in the 1,500 meters at the `68 Olympics in Mexico City. Like many Major League Baseball teams getting their players from the Dominican Republic and Cuba, this year’s ISU men’s cross country team has gone across an ocean to help continue a winning tradition. There are currently four native Kenyans on this year’s squad who are all making major contributions to the 2000 edition of the Cyclones; Daniel Kinyua, Philemon Too, Mike Mwangong, and Abraham Rotich. Having other people from Kenya on the team has helped make each runner’s transition to the United States that much easier. “It has helped so much familiarity wise,” graduate student Kinyua said. “It has helped a lot working in the same system and training with fellow Kenyans.” Mwangong and Rotich were quick to add “they didn’t feel new here, which was a big relief.” One of the biggest transitions that the runners had to make coming to the United States was the change in climate and terrain. “Here it is flat, while in Kenya it is very hilly,” Mwangong said. “It is either very hot or very cold in Iowa, while in Kenya it is very hot which is the type of weather we prefer.” Each of the Kenyans were recruited by Iowa State straight out of Kenya except for Kinyua. He started out at the University of Kenya and then transferred to Mt. St. Mary’s in Maryland where he became a five-time All-American in track and cross country. This year however, Kinyua wants to make a name for himself at Iowa State. “I want to be All-Big 12 as an individual and have our team win the Big 12 title,” Kinyua said. Mwangong, ISU’s super sophomore, has even loftier goals for himself and the team. “The way the team is now, we can make it to NCAA’s,” Mwangong said. “As for myself, I am hoping to make the NCAA championships also.” Too, a senior veteran and one of the team leaders, knows that lofty expectations are good, but things should be kept in perspective. “I know this year’s team is very talented and experienced, but injuries could ruin all of that,” Too said. “Hopefully, we can all stay healthy and excel as a team.” Rotich, being a true freshman, is just hoping to get on track in his first year at Iowa State. “This is my first year here, so I really don’t know what to expect,” Rotich said. “I just hope I run well and can do my best.” The runners are making sure the pressures of being Kenyan and living in Iowa are not getting in their way. They focus forward on running and their fall season. “We run because we love running and want to succeed,” Kinyua said. “If it was any other way we wouldn’t be here.” “We make it fun for ourselves,” Mwangong said. An advantage can be seen for the Kenyan runners and the conditions in which they train. “It’s definitely the high altitude,” Rotich said. “It also has something to do with the fact that running to and from school starts you running at a young age.” “As soon as we began school, we started running,” Kinyua said. “Without cars or bicycles, that was the only way we could get around.” Those habits formed early in life have carried them across the Atlantic as they still spend much of their time running. “We wake up very early and run when everyone else is asleep,” Kinyua said. Mwangong, Kinyua and Too all contribute much of their success to training and working hard. By “staying focused and having good discipline,” they have all excelled during their time at Iowa State. And now, as the running careers of Kinyua and Too come to an end, and Mwangong’s and Rotich’s get started, they are all hoping that everything comes together as the season progresses. “With a combined effort, there is no reason we can’t have an excellent year,” Too said. “Hopefully, this is the year ISU cross-country returns to prominence.”