Diet

Kenyan runners live off of a very simple diet that is no different than what non-athletes in Kenya eat.  No preservatives, no electrolyte-fueled sports drinks, and very little meat (Burnett).  This is often because they run their own farms, and don't have enough money to spend on unnecessary foods.  Some of their common meals are ugali, a mixture of cornmeal and water, githeri, a mixture of boiled corn and kidney beans, and sukuma wiki, boiled  and chopped kale.  Dr. Vincent Onywera, a lecturer at Kenyatta University's Department of Exercise Science calls this "a paleolithic diet" because it "borrows heavily from our forefathers who lived on fruits, vegetables, roots, and lean meat," (Burnett).
Although its hard to be sure as to whether or not this actually has an effect on performance, it would be logical to assume that putting preservatives and processed foods into your body like most people in developed countries do would not help.  Even though many Kenyan athletes who have traveled because of running admit that "hamburgers are great" and that they love "a big steak with a plate of chips", few to none of them grew up this way, so, as Toby Tanser, author of the book Train Hard, Win Easy says, "this ensures at least 20 years of good food into their bodies".