And they're not wrong. Watch a clip of Kenyan athletes training and they'll either be running on a dirt road or a grass track.
The facilities at NWU in Potchefstroom, for example, are so good that some of the world's best track and field athletes camp there during the off-season.
Pop down to Puk McArthur Stadium at this time of year and you will bump into World Championship and Olympic medallists at just about every turn.
But some of South Africa's facilities are not being maintained, and while this has been a problem in other provinces as well, it's becoming a real issue in Gauteng.
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