Twenty-four hours pass without running, and Elkanah Kibet said he feels an ache in his hamstrings and calves. Forty-eight hours pass without running, and the pain intensifies. Seventy-two hours pass and, well, Kibet’s legs would not tolerate such neglect.
Run, the legs order Kibet.
They have carried him on a unique journey, from rural Kenya to the U.S. Army and now onto the eve of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials here Saturday. The top three finishers in the men’s and women’s races will earn spots on the Olympic team and a chance to compete in the Rio Games in August.
That incentive is sweeter than what motivated Kibet, 32, when he was in grade school. Back then, the fear of a cane propelled him on the 2.5-mile trek to school. He usually left the house at 7:20 a.m.
“If you walk and by 7:45 you’re not (at school), you get caned," Kibet told USA TODAY Sports. “So you have to be fast."