Popular Nigerian pastor, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has raised questions regarding the excellent performance Kenyans always put on in marathons.

Suleman raised the questions on his Twitter page on Saturday, February 8, shortly after Kenyan athlete David Barmasai Tumo emerged winner of the 2020 Lagos City Marathon.

The 42km race which commenced at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos state, saw David Barmasai Tumo cross the finish line at the Eko Atlantic in a course record time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 23 seconds.

Barmasai, who is 31-year-old, will be going home with $50,000 after winning the 42km race.

Reacting to the development, Pastor Suleman tweeted:

What’s with Kenyans always coming 1st in Marathon race?..is it stamina or capacity for long-suffering?…dont dare a long distance race with an athletic Kenyan or you will only come 1st from behind…kudos to Kenyans on the victory at the Lagos Marathon..God bless you.— Apst Johnson Suleman (@APOSTLESULEMAN)

The cleric’s tweet, as expected, has generated several reactions from his followers and other Twitter users.

See Tweet below:

What’s with Kenyans always coming 1st in Marathon race?..is it stamina or capacity for long-suffering?…dont dare a long distance race with an athletic Kenyan or you will only come 1st from behind…kudos to Kenyans on the victory at the Lagos Marathon..God bless you.

— Apst Johnson Suleman (@APOSTLESULEMAN) February 8, 2020

Theophilus Sacker, in his own reaction, attributed Kenyans’ excellence in Marathon to the nature of their geographical location.

“Sir it’s because they live in mountainous areas where at such altitude oxygen affinity goes high so their red blood cells production goes high and are able to trap more Oxygen on lowlands hence making them utilize more energy and stamina,” he tweeted.

Theophilus-Truth-hurts has a similar explanation. He tweeted:

“They’re all from the Rift Valley region. Marathoners from all over the world go there to train before major races.

“Most Kenyan elite runners hail from the same ethnic groups known as the Kalenjins and the Nandis. The groups make up just 10% of d nation’s population of 50 million.”

In his own reaction, Femi Derricks linked Kenyans’ Marathon success to their alleged “red muscle”.

“This is linked to the kind of muscle Kenyan possess. The “red muscle”. “This is also called the Slow-twitch muscle fibers which support long distance endurance activities like marathon running.

“Kenyans got to build this kind of muscle because of the high altitude environment they live in and can also be linked to their genetic component,” he tweeted.