WORKING PAPERS SERIES NR. 29 Adaption und Kreativität in Afrika — Technologien und Bedeutungen in der Produktion von Ordnung und Unordnung Konstantin Biehl KNOWLEDGE ON THE RUN. UNCERTAINTIES IN THE CAREERS OF KENYAN LONG-DISTANCE RUNNERS Gefördert von der DFG Konstantin Biehl KNOWLEDGE ON THE RUN. EPISTEMOLOGICAL UNCERTAINTIES IN THE CAREERS OF KENYAN LONG-DISTANCE RUNNERS Working Papers of the Priority Programme 1448 of the German Research Foundation Adaptation and Creativity in Africa: technologies and significations in the making of order and disorder Edited by Ulf Engel and Richard Rottenburg Nr. 29, Leipzig and Halle 2018. Contact: Richard Rottenburg (Co-Spokesperson) DFG Priority Programme 1448 Adaptation and Creativity in Africa University of Halle Social Anthropology Reichardtstraße 11 D-06114 Halle Ulf Engel (Co-Spokesperson) DFG Priority Programme 1448 Adaptation and Creativity in Africa University of Leipzig Centre for Area Studies Nikolaistraße 6–10 D-04109 Leipzig Phone: +49 / (0)341 / 973 78 84 e-mail: [email protected] Copyright by the author of this working paper. www.spp1448.de Knowledge on the Run. Epistemological Uncertainties in the Careers of Kenyan Long-Distance Runners Konstantin Biehl Research Assistant, SPP 1448, University of Halle; 2012–2017 PhD Researcher, University of Oslo; since 2018 Content 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 A. The Craziest Running I’ve Ever Seen ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 B. The Slowest Runner in Kaptagat ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 C. The Economy, Stupid! ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 D. What Can a Body Do? ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 E. Positioning My Thesis I: Anthropology of Sport .................................................................................................................................................................... 6 F. (De)Constructing Kenyan Running ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 G. Positioning My Thesis II: Why is Kenyan Running so Successful? ............................................................................................. 7 2. Competitive Sport and Capitalism ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 9 A. What is Sport? ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 B. Uncertainty and Competition .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 C. Commercialised Sport ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 11 D. Actors and Spaces of Competitive Long-Distance Running ..................................................................................................................... 12 3. Short History of Kenyan Running ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 A. Colonial and Local Origins ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 B. After Independence: Scholarships and Commercialisation ........................................................................................................................ 15 C. Road to Dominance ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 16 D. A Note on Women’s Running .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 4. Economy ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 A. Stories of Running ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 B. Runners Everywhere ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 20 C. Running as Profession: Socio-economic Uncertainty .............................................................................................................................................. 21 D. Running and Education: Scholarship Athletes ......................................................................................................................................................................... 23 E. Running and Hustling: Commercial Athletes ............................................................................................................................................................................ 25 F. Successful Careers and Networking ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 28 G. Successful Careers and Escaping Race ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 30 H. Fraud .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 I. Hope ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 35 5. Training ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 37 A. Running as Technique of the Body ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 37 B. The Uncertainty of Bodily Knowledge ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 39 C. Two Kinds of Bodily Knowledge .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................