Kenyan runners of both genders migrate to Japan to pursue projects of social and economic mobility for themselves and their families. While in Japan, they face the constant challenge of balancing social obligations (spending) with preserving their resources to secure their own future (saving) — and both of these projects are grounded in Kenya rather than Japan. There is a commonly held perception in Kenya that migrants, and more specifically migrant athletes, earn considerable sums of money that they should share generously. Many Kenyans expect that their relationship with an athlete will ensure miraculous socioeconomic transformations amidst the uncertainties of rural life. However, the realities that underpin their dreams bring to light how crucial it is to present themselves as mobile and successful, even when in many cases, that is far from actuality. Their experiences also expose how sporting careers are imagined within broader projects of migration, and clouds the image of what can really be considered as migration through sport. Nevertheless, their stories illustrate the powerful allure of how success can be possible through projects of migration that begin in sports, and the steadfast determination young men and women will maintain to reach their goals. Their precarious transnational experiences reveal determinants of pride and shame, the fragility of hope, and how migrants can discover ways to transform their wealth into locally acceptable forms of respectability — all critical themes concerned with the path to a better life.
