Rono? Like it!

Kenya’s Rono is coach and CEO of the International Sports Institute of Albuquerque, NM, USA, and he’s passionate of the Bislett Games in Oslo. He’s in town for the 34th time in his life, and he truly enjoys coming to Norway. “I have a lot of friends here, the Bislett Games itself mean a lot to me. When I’m here, I’m feeling younger”, he confides during today’s traditional Strawberry Party.

Henry Rono was one of the most prominent long distance runners in the late 1970s. He achieved four World records in only 81 days in 1978, one of them, in 7:32.1 minutes on 3000m just in Oslo. “This is my most precious memory from all my appearances at the Bislett Games”, he says today.

But who was the greatest athlete ever he has seen on this spot? “Impossible to say”, Rono answers, “there were too many, Steve Ovett or Sebastian Coe for example.” Then he hesitates for a moment and says: “Maybe Britan’s Dave Moorcroft who took away my 5000m World Record here in Oslo. I was in that race but he took me by surprise. Dave was a good miler but this day he remained some six seconds under my World record, with 13 minutes flat.”

The Norwegian language “is a problem, because I fly always in only for a few days”, Rono smiles. “But I’m able to capture something, some words a close to the English. Anyway, the language for sure isn’t a barrier in my communication.”

Like distances aren’t. Rono is on Facebook, remember? Have you added him as friend?