Does altitude alone explain Kenyan and Ethiopian dominance?
No, and the research on elite Kenyan runners themselves makes that clear. A study of elite Kenyan athletes normally based at 2,090 meters found that during a six-week training camp at sea level, their total hemoglobin mass, while comparable to a group of German runners at the outset, continuously decreased over the weeks spent at lowland. That finding argues against altitude living being a one-time switch that gets flipped and stays flipped, since the adaptation appears to fade once the exposure stops. Researchers studying East African distance dominance more broadly point to a combination of factors alongside altitude exposure: favorable skeletal muscle fiber composition, oxidative enzyme profiles, strong running economy, traditional diet, and the sheer training culture and motivation built around running as a viable career path in both countries.
