while staying with the family of Bob Rosen

Runners young and older can be seen on the roads, and the outdoor tracks at UMass, Amherst College and Amherst Regional High School.

Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.

Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.

No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.

For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.

The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.

As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”

It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.

As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.

It seems that Amherst always has been known as “a running town.”

Runners young and older can be seen on the roads, and the outdoor tracks at UMass, Amherst College and Amherst Regional High School.

Some of them train for real competition, either in races around Western Massachusetts, or in college and high school meets. Others are just out there for a good workout.

Then there are the really serious guys, like Philemon Terer and Benard Lengat.

No, they’re aren’t from Amherst. Nor do they live there. They come from Kenya, where running is a way of life, especially for those willing to put in the miles that can lead to monetary winnings in support of themselves and their families back in their villages.

For dedicated athletes like Terer and Lengat, Amherst has become an important stop on their journey toward establishing themselves as world-class competitors. Over recent weeks, they trained together in Amherst while staying with the family of Bob Rosen, a 61-year-old distance-running guru who doubles as a Springfield lawyer.

The law may be his livelihood, but the road is his passion. He has been running since his teens, and he loves to help others with their training. He’s been doing that for years as a volunteer assistant coach of cross country and track at Amherst Regional. He also helps with Amherst College teams.

As Rosen puts it, “I love to deal with young, motivated people who want to learn. I try to help them get better and faster, and I try to give them what can be a lifelong love for the sport. It’s something they can do for years.”

It was no wonder, then, that Rosen reveled in the success of the Amherst Regional boys teams when they won a “Triple Crown” in 2011-12 – Western Massachusetts titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.

As for the Kenyans, the training they have been doing with Rosen in Amherst has produced impressive results. On Oct. 13 – a cold and crisp Saturday morning – Terer and Lengat finished 1-2 in the Hartford Half-Marathon, outlasting a field of 7,000 entries. If not for the cold, one or both might have broken the course record of 1:05.24 for the 13.1-mile grind.