Terrain trains the toughest!

East Africa, particularly Kenya and Ethiopia (Uganda recently), dominate global middle to long distance running. From “Kip” Keino (1968 Mexico, 1500 m) to Eliud “Kip”chuge (2016 Rio, Marathon) – they ascribe it to the heat and altitude in which they practiced for 20 years when the lungs cried out for fresh air. Olympic gold was a comfortable breeze!

In the ‘90s, Yugoslavia broke up. There was dust all around as bombs razed the Balkan nations. A kid was growing up, sparing and dreaming in this dusty Belgrade. It taught him to fight any mental and physical pressure on the court. Today, Djokovic has the best 5 set winning record ever in tennis: 75%+.

The golden boys of Brazillian soccer all grew up dribbling in crowded, poor slums of Rio, Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre. On the “wider” football field, they were liberated: they dodged past defenders with ginga (“the beautiful game”) to five glorious world cups.

Tough terrain can be your best friend. Having it difficult while growing up builds muscles and strengths that the privileged can’t afford to have.

Out there in the heat wave, in dusty, crowded, industrial areas, there are OfBians fighting it out for the company and themselves. To build a career and a business. You should know that for you guys, life ahead will be a breeze. For, terrain trains the toughest!