Bokoji Town Long-Distance Running Dominance: What Justifies It?

Abstract

Bekoji is a town of 17,000 inhabitants in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region, central Ethiopia, With a latitude and longitude of 7°35′N 39°10′E/ 7.583°N 39.167°E and an elevation of 2810 m. Over the last 20 years, Bekoji athletes have won 10 Olympic gold medals, 32 World Championships and have set 10 world records, in long distance running. For this reason, different explanations have been advanced to explain why such a small population sector has dominated long distance running over time. Hence, this review paper intended to give an insight on the possible factors, which are commonly cited as reasons for Bekoji long-distance running dominance: genetic predisposition, diet, environment, metabolic efficiency, motivation, and social development. Although it is evident from this review that no possible factor is essential to the acquisition of Bekoji’s long -distance running dominance, future studies should concentrate on the investigation of the proposed factors often described.