"Why are you wearing a suit?" An Argentine marathon runner was stunned to find a man in a full suit and leather shoes running alongside him, pacing at 3:25 minutes per kilometer.
On 2 Feb 2026 GMT+7, another remarkable story highlighted why Kenya is truly the birthplace of world-class runners, told through the eyes of Julian Alonso, a physiotherapist and Argentine marathon runner who moved to Iten, Kenya, a city dubbed the "running capital of the world," out of passion for running.
The event took place last month during Julian's long-distance training session when he encountered a middle-aged Kenyan man dressed in a full suit and leather shoes walking to church.
Instead of passing by, the man chose to run alongside Julian, spontaneously acting as a pacer. The pace surprised many on social media as they started at 4:00 minutes per kilometer and accelerated to finish at 3:25 minutes per kilometer—all while the man remained in his suit and leather shoes.
Julian posted the video on social media with the caption, "Only in Kenya does something like this happen. Today I went for a long run around Iten, and a man walking to church saw me running alone, so he decided to run with me."
He added, "Although the route was downhill, we started at 4:00 min/km and ended at 3:25 min/km. He ran wearing a suit and leather shoes. This is the charm of Kenya."