Show Notes: - I can't even begin to tell you how interesting and funny and entertaining and enlightening and special today's assembly was. I went without any expectations - I just assumed the Kenyan athletes would meet with the children at the school and then have lunch with them in the cafeteria. It ended up being a rock concert with the Kenyans as the main attraction. It was incredible. The kids absolutely loved every minute of it. It was sort of ironic to see American children going crazy for the Kenyans and trying to slap their hands as they walked by. It reminded me of our time in Kenyan when every child wanted to shake our hands. Of course most American child aren't like that, but on this particular day in this particular auditorium, the tables were turned. - For the last 15 years the Elmwood Elementary school has put on an assembly to welcome all the Kenyan athletes in the Boston Marathon. The school does an incredible job - all the halls were plastered with Kenyan-related posters and art projects. After walking the halls, the athletes were taken into a classroom of about 20 students. It was a very casual setting. The athletes walked around to the students, who were seated in groups of 4 or 5, and made small talk. All the kids had a little booklet with swahili words inside. They would try to ask the athletes some questions or point to their yellow vests and say "manjano." They also loved to look at the name tags of the athletes and then rifle through their press packet to find that athlete. I was standing at one table with Baba when the kid at the end said, "You're Kiogora," after finally finding Baba in the press pack. Baba smiled and said, "Yes, I am Kiogora. Who are you?" - While the athletes were in the classroom, the teachers took all the other students down to the auditorium. This is where the real show happened. They really go all out for this event. Confetti, mini Kenyan flags, Kenya t-shirts, strobe lights, loud music - it really was like a rock concert. Or at the very least like the introductions at a Chicago Bulls game. The athletes were introduced one-by-one to the raucous crowd of 2nd and 3rd graders. The came through the tunnel with dry ice and streamers. While I was watching, and with goosebumps all over, I thought, Man, this is what the sport needs. We need to find a way to get people excited, even if it takes dry ice and loud music. - After the Kenya assembly, I went with Tom and Godfrey to the WGBH studio in Cambridge. There Tom and Godfrey were on the radio show The World with host Lisa Mullins. I sat in the control room with the engineers, including Tina Tobey, who was a semi-finalist in the Come to Kenya with KIMbia contest. It was pretty interesting to "watch" a radio show from the control room. - Today is a big day with the main press conference this morning and the athlete dinner tonight. I'll write up a recap of the press conference tonight or tomorrow. We're down to three days. - Today's podsafe music comes from 6 Feet Deep and Baron Von LichtensteinTo learn more visit chasingKIMBIA.---chasingKIMBIA.com is a blogumentary documenting the lifestyle and training of some of the world's best marathon runners. Season One provided an unprecedented vantage point of the highs and lows of professional running as seven athletes prepared for the Chicago and New York City marathons. Season Two brings even more excitement and deeper coverage to the sport as we travel to the training camp in Iten, Kenya where the athletes are preparing for the Boston, London, and Rotterdam marathons. This is your backstage pass. Follow the journey at www.chasingkimbia.com.