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Over the past 10 years, Kenya's women runners have overcome poverty, second-class status and the rigors of world-class athletic training to become nearly as dominant on the international racing circuit as Kenya's men have been for 30 years. Those who have risen into the elite ranks are providing new opportunities for their families, changing the way women are perceived and pulling up the next generation of runners such as Margaret Chebei Kibiego, shown here peering out behind some male runners at the starting line of a half-marathon in Nyeri, Kenya. Next photo. Part five of the project "Fast Forward" chronicles how the role of women in sports is changing Kenya.

Photo by: Martha Rial / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (5/9/2002)