UTEP 800 runner Aron Tanui takes unconventional route to El Paso
That UTEP track team has a long tradition of getting runners from the world distance running capital of Eldoret, Kenya.
The Miners have a long tradition of recruiting runners from the world sprint capital of Kingston, Jamaica.
What they have no tradition in is mixing those two. Well, they do now in the form of Aron Tanui, a native of Eldoret and a high school graduate from Kingston College.
That is a path less taken.
"Track and education," is Tanui's simple explanation of his circuitous route to El Paso, which also included a stop at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, near Lubbock.
"That's quite different, a first of me hearing that," said his event coach Milton Mallard. "He wanted to be around the best athletes in the world, it gives him an upper hand of being competitive."
Indeed, Tanui could be something of a forerunner. Kingston College high school recruits distance runners from Africa in its efforts to be a track powerhouse. Tanui came on their radar and jumped at the chance to relocate to a different type of track juggernaut.
That gives Tanui a different perspective than his Kenyan teammates — he has seven of them at UTEP — but not a bad one.
The junior's deep experience has shown. He leads Conference USA in the 800 meters and will be a favorite in that event next week at the conference championships at Kidd Field. He was third in the 800 at the indoor championships, he was fourth at the NJCAA national championships last year at South Plains.
"What he is good at, he understands, the 800 meters, he understands what it takes," Mallard said. "He understands what it takes with regard to training, with understanding pace, with understanding the hard work it takes to be a great 800-meter runner.
"And he's blessed with God given ability which makes it easier."
What Tanui understands right now is he's ready to run fast.
"I'm in good form, I'm ready to compete at conference," he said. "I started the season with a personal best (in the 1,500, his other event) and progressed from there. I'm looking forward to trying to win conference and make the team for regionals."
As for how he ended up at UTEP, he was one of the final recruits of assistant Paul Ereng, who is now at Texas A&M. Tanui was well aware of the success in the 800 of his countrymen and Miner predecessors Emmanuel Korir and Michael Saruni, which gave him a good impression of UTEP.
"I knew of them when I was in Jamaica," Tanui said of Korir and Saruni. "Those guys were good inspirations. The 800 guys were really good and I liked the coaches here."
That continued when Mallard joined the program this season.
"I was lucky enough to inherit a great student-athlete in Aron," Mallard said. "Paul did a great job recruiting and finding a talent like that.
"Now it's building on those things. Aron is a testament to what UTEP athletics stand for."
He found a different path here, but one that is working out quite well for him and his team.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP Miners runner Aron Tanui takes unconventional route to El Paso
