Keino: How track ace helped break seven world records

The sun had mellowed in Finland's Lappeenranta one hot summer day in 1996 when Martin Keino, a budding Kenyan athlete, limbered up for a 1,500m race on a star-studded track.

Unbeknown to him, every stride he took was being watched closely. When he reached the finish line, gasping for air, he was pulled aside and asked to run again in another race.

This time, his job was to set the pace for his colleague and fellow rising star Daniel Komen.

"He (Daniel) was going for the two-mile world record while I had finished running my 1,500m race just half an hour earlier," Martin, the son of champion Olympian Kipchoge Keino, tells TRT Afrika.

Even though he wasn't exhausted, the challenging, last-minute request would require him to turn on every switch and afterburner in his system.

"So, yeah, I jumped in and helped him for the first half of the two miles, and he ended up breaking the existing record," recalls Martin.

It was a remarkable feat for a young athlete barely two years into his professional career, just as it was for Daniel, the record-breaker.

"That event sort of opened doors for me. People realised I was good at setting the pace. All the top middle and long-distance runners of the time — from Daniel to Kenyan Paul Tergat and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele — would request me to be their pacesetter whenever they were looking for world records," says Martin.

Niche athlete

Over the next decade, Martin's skill, speed and strength would help create seven world records and add a new dimension to the idea of a professional athlete.

"The buzz was that if you wanted to win in a competition, you would request my services, and I would help make it happen," reminisces the 53-year old former runner.

The unwritten principle in athletics is that you risk burning out if you start too fast. Make a slow start, and you compromise on time.

The art of running the perfect race lies in pacesetting.

Martin belonged to that rare breed of athletes who seemed to possess an internal clock that helped him set the pace for record-breaking runners to achieve their highest potential.

"I was an even-type pacer, and that's what you require in middle to long-distance races — to be able to run as evenly as possible in terms of pace for three to seven or 12 laps," he explains.

"By the end of my career, the seven world records I helped set were about consistency."

Pacesetter's prize

In a sport where winning is all about medals, what motivated Martin to be the athlete who wouldn't get to climb the podium, no matter what he did?

It makes sense to chase the gold medal. After all, that is the prize, and the fame it brings is worth savouring, But in his career as an ace pacesetter, the high demand for his services ensured he always felt included.

"It was lucrative, and I would be paid equal to the second person who finished the race," Martin tells TRT Afrika.

"That would be anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000 if records were broken, and it would come with bonuses, which would almost equal the pay."

A generous record-breaker would also pile on extra cash to express gratitude.

As a pacesetter, Martin needed to do either half or three-quarters of the race. He was eligible to run in as many races as he chose, unlike the athletes who could only compete in specific events.

In his prime, Martin ran as many as 20 races a year. "Although my fees were high, they would pay me more if I asked," he says.

Technology takeover

The challenge for records has dropped drastically in present-day athletics, and the game of pacesetting has also changed in more ways than one.

"Technology is almost eliminating pacesetters," says Martin. "Athletes now follow lights already set up to a certain pace. They know that if they are ahead of the lights, they are ahead of the record."

Still, having another human in front appeals more to top athletes aiming for records. Also, the pacesetter doubles as a windshield.

"It's easier to draft a person rather than chase a light and deal with wind conditions and rain," says Martin.

Legend's shadow

Martin's entry into athletics generated a lot of interest, not just because of his skill but also due to public curiosity about whether he was a chip off the old block.

His father Kipchoge, aka Kip, was a legend in long-distance running, having won Olympic gold medals in the 1,500m event in 1968 and the 3,000m steeplechase in 1972.

Being the son of a famous father meant expectations were high, but Martin effortlessly became his own man, building a reputation as a world-class pacesetter.

"I sort of forced my way out, and eventually, I managed to get all the family records," says Martin, pointing to the achievements nearly 40 years after his father retired from the track.

"I ran faster than him by a second in the 1,500m and by about 10 seconds in the 5,000m," he points out.

At 33, Martin retired from professional athletics and entered the world of sports marketing. He continues to set the pace with elan, albeit in a different field.