The great career began with a disappointment – and that was a while ago. Once a world-class 5000m runner, Eliud Kipchoge had already demonstrated his exceptional ability with Olympic medals – bronze in Athens 2004 and silver in Beijing 2008. But in 2012, when the Olympic family met in London, he wasn’t there. In the qualifying competitions in Kenya, he was only seventh – and was no longer part of the team. But: It was the starting signal for something new for the now 37-year-old. That was when the marathon athlete and arguably the best runner of all time was born. The marathon as the elixir of life.
“It’s my family that motivates me and I want to motivate young people with my sport. My message is: together we can achieve anything. Let’s stand together as runners. If we run together, we can all be happy,” said Kipchoge briefly after his next breathtaking world record run. In Berlin he completed the 42.195 kilometers on Sunday in 2:01:09 hours. Of course, Kipchoge had also set the previous record in 2018 at the same place in 2:01:39 hours.
Sang leads Kipchoge down the marathon path
Of course, Kipchoge is also a world marathon champion. And he managed to defend his gold medal over the marathon distance from 2016 in Rio 2021 in Tokyo. Something that very few athletes can do. His journey to the top of the world differs from that of most other athletes. Kipchoge dared and wasn’t above asking. Although he was actually already at the top over the middle distance. He turned to former top runner Patrick Sang for help with marathon training. Since then, Sang has been Kipchoge’s coach.
Eliud Kipchoge (right) presents his bronze medal at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004
The 58-year-old told the New York Times that neither Kipchoge nor training partner Geoffrey Kamworor had ever questioned his methods: “They just trust the process and do their job.” This close collaboration has brought the two together. “If I hadn’t met him, my life would have been different,” Kipchoge told the New York Times.
Hard training
Kipchoge, who lives in Eldoret, Kenya, with his wife and three children, works hard to succeed. His training regularly begins in the early hours of the morning between five and six o’clock. And even with advanced age, he does not let up. On the contrary. Because Kipchoge still has a big goal: He wants to finish an official marathon in under two hours – and thus make history. That would be the culmination of his unique and phenomenal career.
At a marathon in Vienna in 2019, he actually finished in less than two hours. But the record was not recognized because not all official rules were met in this run. So he has it all. Postponed does not mean cancelled. “I’m still hungry to run. I want to run a few more marathons. My head says: Inspire the younger generation,” said Kipchoge.
