Kenya’s marathon sensation Eliud Kipchoge has revealed the daily routine exercise that has propelled him to glory.
The long-distance runner, a five-time World Championship 5000m finalist who took silver medals at the 2007 World Championships, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, has never looked back since he burst into glory over 20 years ago.
Success not guaranteed
Now, Kipchoge has revealed what has kept him going, posting success after success in the miles.
“Putting in the miles every day is one of my favorite parts of the process. Success should always be earned and never guaranteed,” Kipchoge said in a statement.
The 38-year-old will be participating in the Berlin Marathon scheduled for September 24 after he announced his return to the showpiece.
The Berlin Marathon is a memorable place for Kipchoge because it is at the stage where he shaved 30 seconds off his own world record last year and finished in 2:01:09. He hopes to use the event as preparation for the 2024 Olympic Games in France.
“Good organization and the timeframe are what make Berlin a good race to prepare for next year [Olympic Games]. I trust that with the timeframe, September towards next year is a good time to run Berlin, come back, have a race, start again, and I’ll have enough time to train,” Kipchoge, who is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion, said in an earlier interview.
At the Berlin Marathon, Kipchoge hopes to make history again as he aims to become the first athlete to clinch the title five times. Ethiopia’s great, Haile Gebrselassie, won four consecutive victories between 2006 and 2009, and if Kipchoge emerges the winner, he will surpass that record.
Focus on Olympic Games
After the Berlin Marathon, Kipchoge’s focus will probably be on the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he could register another memorable career achievement.
In history, there have been only three men who have won back-to-back Olympic marathons: Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila did it in 1960 and 1964; Waldemar Cierpinski of West Germany did it in 1976 and 1980; and Kipchoge himself achieved that in 2016 and 2021, but no one has ever won three.
“I would be the first man to win back-to-back-to-back. I am really looking for that. That would be real, real history,” Kipchoge said when asked if he had to choose between winning all six World Marathon Majors or winning a third Olympic gold medal.
