For many Kenyan athletes, the road to the Los Angeles Marathon and other major races unexpectedly turned life-threatening in late December when a disputed presidential election ignited unrest that left 1,000 people dead. At least two of them were runners -- and one was a former Olympian.
The carnage since has given way to an uneasy peace in the wake of an agreement reached this week.
But the fallout continues in Kenya, where some runners are being accused of helping fund the violence, and worldwide among race directors who rely on Kenyans to round out their elite athlete rosters.
"All of my athletes got out of Africa," said Anne Roberts, who coordinates elite athlete appearances for Sunday's Los Angeles Marathon. "I can't believe it."
Roberts had invited about 20 elite male and female athletes, including Joseph Ngolepus, and Benjamin Kipchumba. Additional runners were invited after the violence flared, but Roberts had to wait until Friday to learn if all would make it to Los Angeles.
The Kenyans generally were able to return to their training regimens by mid-January but take care to avoid potential danger.
"They run with one eye on the pavement and the other on the hedges," said long-time athlete agent Ricky Simms.
But the violence stunned running world veterans.
"It's like having someone tell you that rioting broke out on the Upper East Side of Manhattan," said Mary Wittenberg, president and chief executive of the New York City Marathon. "This is so alien to us who know Kenya. It makes no sense at all."
The post-election violence hit particularly hard around Eldoret, a city in western Kenya's Rift Valley that has long been a magnet for runners because of its hospitable year-round climate and favorable topography. Kip Keino and Lornah Kiplagat are among the accomplished runners who operate training compounds there.
Early in January, an estimated 17 people died when a mob set fire to a church in a small town outside Eldoret. As the violence flared, runners sharply curtailed their training regimens. For weeks, many stayed indoors. When they did venture outside, long runs were replaced by shorter circuits in safe territory.
"We were fearful to go out," said Wilson Chepkwony, a 27-year-old runner from Eldoret who plans to run in Los Angeles. "People were fighting, shooting arrows, burning houses, cutting off heads . . . I have never seen something like this in Kenya, which is a beautiful country."
