“I loved hearing Boss talk about the Kenyans, especially, because they were the runners to be feared in long and middle distances. The best of the best. I remembered my parents told me that our tribe were descended from the Maasai. The Maasai were Kenyan. Yes, I felt deep in my soul, this running thing was in my blood.

“I didn’t do well in the event. I came in fourth and to this day, I don’t know what happened except to say I couldn’t find the zone. I didn’t yet understand that racing wasn’t just about being fast, it was also about strategizing and quieting the mind. I was used to running alone, my only company at times just cows and sheep and goats. I was used to running in South Africa. I couldn’t yet control my nerves. I resolved to learn and never lose again.

“And here is what made Seme an excellent coach. He knew I had been coaching myself. He first wanted to understand what I had been doing, mostly on my own, to bring me to the point where he would notice me. And I told him. I was doing the things I’d seen athletes at bigger schools with actual tracks do. I told him I would run by myself when I wasn’t taking care of my family home. I remember Seme nodded and then just added to the foundation I’d laid for myself. He found my running form to be too loose, he felt I swung my arms too much and held my head too far back. He would eventually help me get to the form that made me a winner—arms locked in close to my body, chest high, head centered. Seme was a coach who understood where you were. This is why, despite everything that came between us in the future, I will always say he is the best coach I’ve ever had. He became like a father to me. Seme knew when to push and when we needed to rest.

“Jean was a soft-spoken and deliberate man. He had a calming presence. He did not push me. What we needed, he said, was to get me back to basics. More than anything, Jean wanted me to rediscover my love of running. He believed I understood my body better than anyone else. If he knew I was on the IAAF’s drug regimen, he didn’t let on. We never discussed it. Jean treated me like he treated everyone else in the group.

“Michael’s program improved upon whatever I’d built running barefoot and alone on those dusty grounds in Limpopo as a teenager. His philosophy was, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” “We’ll just keep doing what you’ve been doing, Caster,” he would say. He believed in stretching things out, moving along slowly, conditioning, and then when the body was ready, you hit it. He didn’t rush things; he didn’t push until he was absolutely sure. Michael was one of those coaches who didn’t believe in pain; he believed in slow buildups. Maria’s style was hardcore. If the plan for the day was to run 200s in 27s, then that is all we were doing, no matter what. Maria did not rest me well, but she made me a beast, she recreated in me an image of herself. Verster was different from them. Verster believed in gut feelings. Before every session, he would ask me how I felt that day. It was an interesting thing for me. And I could be honest with him. If I said, “I don’t feel like training hard today,” he would honor that.