Kenya’s Musyoki Tries to Cope With Running in the Fast Lane

From the open fields of his native Kenya to the crowded streets of the United States, William Musyoki has followed many courses in his running career.

But of all the roads he has raced, and of all the tracks he has circled, no course can compare to his current route.

Musyoki, a 22-year-old member of Kenya’s Akamba tribe, has, in a relatively short time, become one of the best road racers in the world. Since his first competition four years ago, Musyoki has outrun such well-known competitors as Steve Jones from Wales and Steve Cram of England and Peter Rono of Kenya. At the Carlsbad 5,000 in April, Musyoki came within three seconds of running a world best.

For race directors, agents and those on the periphery of world-class racing, Musyoki--now sixth on The Athletics Congress’ American road-racing rankings--has suddenly become hot property.

It’s because of his status that many close to Musyoki worry about his future. Musyoki, they say, is being pulled in too many directions at once.

“He’s having a rough time, that’s for sure,” said Dan Ashimine, president and coach of the Gardena Valley Runners, the club Musyoki currently represents.

Asked if he felt Musyoki, a Walnut resident, was being exploited by the racing community, Ashimine said:

“There’s no question in my mind, he’s heading in that direction. . . . Europe wants him, road racing wants him, everybody wants him.

“This guy, every time he goes out (for a race), he goes 100%, he goes for the world record. He’s running so many races. A man’s body can hold up like that only so long. Every time I’ve seen a runner run too much too soon, they burn themselves out.”

Sunday, Musyoki will race in the Bastille Day 8K, beginning at 8 a.m. at the Hotel Meridien in Newport Beach. As he said before running a 5K last Sunday, Musyoki will try to run a world record.

(Because the International Amateur Athletic Federation, the governing body of track and field, does not officially recognize road racing, most road racing records are considered unofficial. Runner’s World magazine lists the 8K world record as 22 minutes 7 seconds set by Alberto Salazar in 1981.)

Many think Musyoki is capable of breaking the record because Musyoki’s speed and strength seem well-suited for that distance.

In the Carlsbad 5,000, Musyoki and fellow Kenyan Yobes Ondieki finished faster than the world 5K best--13:30 by American Steve Scott--but Ondieki outran Musyoki in the stretch to win by three seconds in 13:26.

Last Sunday, at the Pacific Square 5K in Gardena, Musyoki, running with a smooth, fluid stride, took a 50-yard lead on the pack in the first half-mile. His winning time was 13:46 and he ran virtually alone the entire race (a bicyclist darted in and out of his path) and he had to swing wide around turns several times to avoid race vehicles that had slowed.

After the race, the soft-spoken Musyoki patiently answered a reporter’s questions, managed a short interview with a man and his video camera, and accepted his prize--$200, quite nominal in relation to Musyoki’s usual race earnings--for breaking the course record.

“My goal today was to break (the world record) if I had a chance,” he said. “But you know it’s very hard to run by yourself. Next week, I will try to break the world record again.”

Musyoki, whose last name means “born again,” grew up on his family’s coffee plantation in Kangudon, a suburb of Nairobi in eastern Kenya. He is no relation, he said, to former Kenyan great, Michael Musyoki, a 10,000-meter silver medalist in the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles.

“When you get lucky, you get the same name,” he said.

Musyoki started running in high school, and, he said, quickly became “the fastest in the school yard.” Reading about other Kenyan runners, especially those who went to seek education and competition in the United States, sparked his interest further. In 1985, he finished fifth in the Junior World Cross-Country championships in Lisbon, and two years later moved to Brenham, Tex., where he entered Blinn Community College, the three-time defending national junior college champion in track and field.

Musyoki set three school records and won a national junior college championship in the indoor three-mile. But there were difficulties along the way, Musyoki said. Texans didn’t seem to speak the same English he had learned in Kenya.

And the food wasn’t what Musyoki was accustomed to. Blinn assistant coach Tommy Badon describes Brenham as “a German town that drowns everything in either butter or grease--greasy meat, greasy noodles, greasy vegetables.”

Said Musyoki, who stands 5-feet 4-inches: “Oh! When I came, I weighed 108. Soon I was 120. So I had a hard time to run fast.”

After his first year at Blinn, Musyoki made connections with a European track agent and planned to spend the summer competing overseas. He went, and, as a virtual unknown, surprised many with victories in races across Europe. But, according to Badon, when it came time for Musyoki to return to school for registration, the agent would not give Musyoki the money for a ticket back.

“The agent had made a lot of promises to William, and suddenly William was without any money,” Badon said. “He finally had to go out on his own and win a big marathon so he would have enough money to get back.”

Such experiences have made Musyoki a bit wary. When told that Ashimine and some of his other clubmates are concerned that he is close to getting swept away in his new-found success, Musyoki strongly disagreed.

“It’s not like that,” he said. “You know, if you are a businesswoman or businessman, some people would like to give you advice, like to tell you how to do your business. Me, I’m going to say what I will do. Whatever happens, it’s (my decision). It’s my fault if I do bad, no one can force me to do what I don’t want.”

Musyoki’s plan includes going back to Kenya for a visit in August, and in the fall, attending Mt. San Antonio College--he lives in an apartment across the street from the campus--where he will take business administration courses. Some day, Musyoki said, he hopes to have his own farm in Kenya.

But for now, Musyoki is mainly interested in becoming the world’s best runner. Asked if he thought he wasn’t already one of the best, Musyoki shook his head.

“Not yet,” he said. “But I know, if I don’t break down, if I don’t fall apart, I can be.”

Race Schedule

Saturday: Run for the Hills 7K, Mile Square Park, Fountain Valley, 8 a.m. Entertaining course including many costumed characters such as a troll with a squirt gun and a Jogasaurus that hands out candy. More than 90 cartoon signs with riddles for the walkers. For information, call 963-1430.

Tenth Women’s 5K Distance Festival. Laguna Lake Park, San Luis Obispo. 8:30 a.m. Call (805) 544-9320.

Sunday: Bastille Day 8K. Starts at Hotel Meridien, Newport Beach. 8 a.m. Call 751-3970 or 557-5100.

Fiesta 5,000. San Clemente, 8 a.m. Starts at 300 South El Camino Real. Call (714) 492-1131 or (619) 275-5440.

Legg Lake 5K Run for Fresh Air. Legg Lake, South El Monte, 8 a.m. Call (213) 949-0394.