V 2 N. 6 Will Rickshaw Drivers in Madagascar Make Great Runners?

 In today's The Guardian,  a story will be overlooked by many, because of the reports on the Super Bowl,  Bad Bunny and Lindsay Vonn's crash on the slopes of Cortina D'Ampezzo.  


The Madagascar Rickshaw Runners   click here to read The Guardian article 

                                                       by Romain Philippon


Yeah, I know, you're thinking,  'Rickshaws?  Those are three wheel bikes with two passenger seats.'  True, but the poorer ones don't have the bike frame mounted on the front.  The driver just runs and pulls the load.  Then you're probably thinking,  'Madagascar,  there ain't no good runners over there.'  Right, not yet.  But they may be comin' down the line.  

                                                   Jean Claude Rakotonirina aka Diry  age 33
                                                         photo from The Guardian

Based on this picture, I can see Trek bicycles or Specialized coming out with an upgraded version designed for training runners, or a stationery treadmill where you also pull against a weighted pulley attached to your torso

A couple of guys, Tsiry Rokotomalala,  a local coach and, Yann Mayette, a French national, are based in the country and lending support to these budding long distance runners.  They've started a running club  'Crown' where the rickshaw guys get training advice, and used equipment (shoes) donated from clubs in France.   Some of the men have made it to an international ultra on the isle of Reunion and done well.  How well?  Remains to be seen but the promise is there.  The article is mainly made up of pictures, and these guys do look like runners.  If so,  it won't be the first time someone has stepped into a Developing  World situation and modified the daily life/work cycle into something that can be competitive at the international sports level. After all, the first Kenyan runners started with basically nothing in the late 1950's and within twenty years were world class.  Then someone saw the bicycle delivery guys in the mountains of Rwanda and thought, 'Hey, I wonder what they could do on a good bike with a bit of training and some experience on the roads in Europe, and suddenly you see a few Rwandans near the head of the peleton in the Tour de France.  Last year Rwanda even hosted a world class bike race.  

Maybe a shoe company will read the article and find a way to lend support.  And hopefully a bunch of agents won't get their hands on the guys to corrupt them.  l George Brose


                                                         photo from The Guardian


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