After Kenyan athletes convincingly demolished other teams to emerge top in the just ended International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) competitions, scientists are back to the drawing board.
Do Kenyans have a monopoly of a certain running gene that helps their endurance performance? Or do they just train better and have more determination?
No scientist has ever found ever those elusive running genes.
But after Kenyans sent shock waves around the world with their sizzling performances in Beijing last week, the search might be on.
We also sought views of scientists, coaches and the world conquering athletes on whether Kenyans might be predisposed to win middle and long distance races.
Kenyans have traditionally swept golds across the globe’s major marathons including those in London, Boston, New York and the Diamond League circuits.
Most of the Kenyan runners are actually from the Kalenjin community, which makes just three per cent of the country’s population, rendering the gene theory indirectly probable.
University of New Mexico’s exercise physiologists Dr Robert Robergs and Prof Kravitz Len argue that Kalenjin’s skeletal muscle have elevated concentration of an enzyme which stimulates high lactate turnover and low lactate production hence able to convert oxygen into energy more efficiently than in other groups.
But leading Kenyan geneticist Dr Paul Nthakanio, a senior lecturer at Embu University College, says Kenyans, particularly the Kalenjin, may not have a superior gene for running, but have a superior environment.
The environment is geographical, cultural and includes the foods they eat and the water they drink.
“The environment may induce some genes to express more efficiently. At other times, environment can make some genes to switch off and other times it makes some genes to switch on. This is a condition referred to as epigenetics,” Dr Nthakanio explains.
“When genes are switched off, the level body performance in some activities may go down. When the genes are switched on or when expression of a gene is enhanced, performance in some activities is enhanced too. Remember this happens without any change of DNA (no mutation, and no any alteration of genes),” he added.
The environment in the Rift Valley region tends to favour the expression of genes needed to flex the muscles hence sustained longer period of running, Dr Nthakanio says.
“Remember, epigenetics do not involve change in DNA (inherited material) therefore, it is not inherited from one generation to another in genetic form. However, the effects on gene expression, for instance, in mother or father, can influence the behaviour of a child. For example, though there is no change in DNA a child sired by alcoholic parents, the may incline towards alcoholism. This happens without any genetic change,” he said.
Dr Nthakanio says if genes for running are well expressed in the father or mother, there are chances that effects will be felt in the child.
“This tag left to children by their parents is something I could call, “gene induction” or training of genes to express or well known as epigenome,” he says.
Most of the foreign long distant champions like Briton Mo Farah and, in the past Paula Radcliffe, train at the high altitude region of Iten before championships.
Hence, the environment plays a role in shaping genetic growth to enhance running capability.
He, however, says there’s talent too.
“Obviously, there is talent. What we need to look at is what talent is in genetic terms. Is it inherited? Talent is aptitude and can aptitude be inherited? In genetics, there are some genes we call permissive genes. These are genes that will express differently under different environmental conditions. Remember environment can be anything that influences the behaviour of genes. Now, permissive conditions are those that enable genes to express differently under their influence,” Dr Nthakanio, who is also a former head of biotechnology department at Technical University of Kenya, explains.
“For example, some foods have been associated with high IQ, likewise some food are associated with fast running. Environment and gene expression is a complex topic but for today’s topic, let’s put it this way, when good genes are allowed to express efficiently early enough, they can remain in expressions (active) for some time hence better body performance including running,” he said.
Veteran long distance coach David Letting, who has guided Kenya to several international assignments, said the inbuilt talent and environment contributes to the capability.
“We have good environment, which makes them to be runners naturally and able to run long distances. Remember the climate and the terrain which they are used to everyday,” says Letting.
“Few people who are not from the (Kalenjin) community will make it if they come to train here. Unless you are acclimatised to the terrain since when you were born,” he said.
Former Kenya Prisons head coach Pius Lai said it is a gift from God and can’t be explained.