WOW is right. I knew before coming that Kenya and Ethiopia would dominate, but, by THAT much? Wow. Also, had no idea Japan had so many. I guess sumo wrestlers are faster than they look. They blow away 4th place but I had no idea.
And almost all their great runners are from the Kalenjin (and especially the Nandi) people. From Wikipedia:
"Since the mid-1960s, Kenyan men have earned the largest share of major honours in international athletics (track and field) at distances from 800 meters to the marathon; the vast majority of these Kenyan running stars have been Kalenjin. From 1980 on, about 40% of the top honours available to men in international athletics at these distances (Olympic medals, World Championships medals, and World Cross Country Championships honours) have been earned by Kalenjin."
Good quiz. But, can somebody explain why USA was guessed more than Kenya? Even though Kenya appears to have more people in this list than the rest of the World put together? Also, I note that some were surprised by the Japanese. Shouldn't be when you consider their "national character". Dogged determination and giving up brings shame.
Because it's 3 characters (easy to type) and a lot of marathons are held here (big country with lots of cities). If I want to run a marathon I can just go down the street, or drive a little while. Or even just fly to Kenya if there's a marathon there, it's not that expensive. Harder for a Kenyan to get over here, I imagine.
Kipchoge's time of 1:59:40 run in Vienna does not count as a world record. It was not a competitive race, but he was run through the 42km by groups of pace makers who changed every 5kms. He's still the world record holder though, and has currently won 12 of the 13 marathons he has raced in. For anyone wondering, he's the guy in the picture.
"Since the mid-1960s, Kenyan men have earned the largest share of major honours in international athletics (track and field) at distances from 800 meters to the marathon; the vast majority of these Kenyan running stars have been Kalenjin. From 1980 on, about 40% of the top honours available to men in international athletics at these distances (Olympic medals, World Championships medals, and World Cross Country Championships honours) have been earned by Kalenjin."