Olympic hopeful trades sneakers for Army fatigues

(ABC News) – Sam Chelanga did not want to be a runner; it just happens to be his life story.

“When I’m running, I feel relaxed and I feel appreciative of where I’ve gone so far and it’s a way for me to remind myself to not forget how far I have come,” he said.

Sam Chelanga said that life was tough and that he wanted to get out of his poor, rural village in Kenya.

His mother passed away when he was young and then his father fell ill. One of 12 children, Sam Chelanga said he had to look for ways to survive. Opportunity was scarce and he wanted to go to college.

“I thought maybe I could get like a law degree and then go back and help my family,” he said.

But, college seemed out of reach. Then, he met a friend through his brother who told him about running and getting a scholarship in the U.S.

Read more at ABC News.