Henry Rono - From Runner to Teacher

In 1978 Kenyan Henry Rono set the World’s tracks a blaze with a succession of World distance running records – 3000m 7:32.1 Oslo); 5000m 13:08.4 (Berkeley); 10,000m 27:22.47 Vienna; 3000m Steeplechase 8:05.4 (Seattle) - fulfilling one of his two dreams, to become a track champion.

Though Rono was to run another 5000m record (13:06.20 – Knarvik) in 1981, his running that summer of 1978 resembled a comet, a sudden brilliant light which quickly vanished from view. Rono was burnt out before he really began. Quickly sinking from athletics brilliance into the pit of alcoholism, Rono bravely battled to bring the second of his dreams, that of becoming a professional teacher into reality.

This is Rono’s story in his own words:

“Education is important in many people’s lives. Learning to read and write as a child is the foundation to education. It opens many doors of opportunity. I lived three miles away from an elementary school. My mother always encouraged me.”

“- ‘Get up, clean up and get ready to go to school’ - Mom would say. I always got there before the bell rang.”

“- ‘Someday you will be a teacher, and you will see’ -“

“With my mother’s support and courage, I could see that writing and reading shed light in people’s minds.”

“Today, I am pursuing a degree in the field of Special Education at the University of New Mexico. I think students with developmental disabilities have the desire also to read and write; but this is not always realised at a young age. These students need a special kind of guidance.”

“I was born in 1952 in Kiptaragon village in Kenya. I started elementary school when I was about seven years old at Kibirirsang Primary School in the late 1950s. I finished secondary education in 1971. In 1973, I joined the Kenyan Army and worked for them for four years. In 1976, I was a member of the Kenyan Olympic team in Montreal, Canada. After the Olympics, Washington State University recruited me for a track and field scholarship. I registered in the department of Physical Education with a minor in Psychology. Five years later, I graduated in 1981 with a BA degree in general studies and returned to my homeland in 1984.”

“I was appointed by the Kenyan government to work in the Ministry of Sports and Culture. Then, I was still active in the running world. I established a middle and long distance training programme for Kenyan runners. I worked for the Kenyan government for two years, and then I decided to come back to the United States and resume my professional running career in 1986, which lasted six years.”

The Days of a Runner

Henry goes running all day
Clouds in the sky in spring
Make the world ring
But he is outside all in May

The towns are a sleep
Henry’s eyes are wide
He picks up his stride
Awake in Dark Street he makes
a forward leapP>The joy of races
Running is fitness
The crowd makes faces
He wins and they witness

A runner makes his way home
Henry never finishes alone.

Henry Rono (2002)

“In 1993, I started working with native American runners on the reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico, as a coach and as a sports psychology instructor. I developed a running programme called the ‘Shiprock Project’, which led the Navajo Community College to become the first National Small College champion in Cross Country in 1993.”

“Unfortunately, the Shiprock Project and the Navajo Community College ran out of funding after one year. So I decided to move to Albuquerque to pursue my academic career and teach in the Albuquerque public schools. I worked for APS for three years, from 1996 to 1999, as a substitute teacher. I then became a full-time teacher at Jemez Valley High school in 2000 in the field of Special Education.”

“Since then, I have been working in the native American public schools, and I commute a 55-65 mile round trip, five days a week. When I was given a teaching job in Jemez Valley High School, I moved to Rio Rancho so that my commute would be shorter.”

“This year, I was given another teaching job in Laguna Acoma Middle/High School. To get there I have to travel from Rio Rancho to Laguna, 125 miles round trip. I have to get up at 4am and do my running exercise for one hour. By 6am I leave for Laguna. I normally get to work at about 7am; it takes me an hour. As of this date, I commute about 125-150 miles a day for five days a week. I also take six hours of evening classes per semester and work part time at the airport as a skycap. I enjoy what I do, but sometimes, it is too much. When I started exercising at my gym, things started to become easier, because I became fit to handle the stress. I’m used to early morning exercises, although now I would like to move closer to Laguna Acoma Pueblos.”

“To come back as an adult student twenty years later is a biting challenge for my writing abilities. Now I am learning new things to write about, which stimulates my curiosity. New topics of research focus more on education than when I was writing at WSU.”

“My two dreams were created in the 1960s. I became a professional teacher and a track champion. The running profession came first in the early 1970s and ended 25 years later. The teaching profession began in 1990s, and today, I enjoy it much better than the achievement of athletic celebrity. I think what motivates me to continue in education is that I’m curious about how books are written in different cultures. Reading books helps me to write well and to become an effective teacher.”

“I intend to finish my master’s degree in Education at UNM in the next 18 months. I can identify with the pressure Special Education students must deal with, in that I have had similar difficulties of learning a new language and coping with a new culture. I had to learn to read and write over again in English, so I can empathize with their struggles. Because of my personal success, I am hopeful that their dreams will also be fulfilled. With hope, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

Chris Turner for the IAAF