Kipchoge: “Lowering two hours in a marathon is the work that makes me grow”

Eliud Kipchoge -winner of the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports and, for many, the best marathon runner of all time- is a legend sitting on a plastic chair. Instead of living a life of luxury, his home is a simple training center in western Kenya where he is now speaking to EFE.

Kipchoge shares this quiet corner – the area didn’t even have electricity until the center’s sponsors recently installed some solar panels – with the dozens of runners he lives and trains with every day.

The Kenyan has broken the marathon world record twice. He won two consecutive Olympic marathons. And he is the only person who has run such a distance (42,195 kilometers) in less than two hours.

To achieve this final victory in 2019, Kipchoge used several conditions that World Athletics does not allow in official competitions. But the marathon runner assures that, however, it is his accomplishment that he is most proud of.

“That is history. And it will last forever”he said to EFE.

Do you think we’ll soon see someone drop below two hours in an official marathon?

I think it is possible. In the future, some brokers will get it.

Do you want to try it?

I don’t know… I think I’ve shown other runners how to do it. (…) The world is open now that we have shown people that there are no limits.

And what are your goals? Only those in Boston and New York are left to win the so-called Great Marathon. Do you want to participate in them before the 2024 Olympic Games?

Those races are on my wish list. (…) But the Olympic Games are important to me. I will work harder at the Olympics and maybe rest on something else. (…) I would be happy to win three Olympic marathons in a row. 2024 is an important year for me.

And the Valencia marathon?

I think I have a long wish list… But I think Valencia is a very fast race. (…) This is the place where you really step.

You said that your first career was aimed at going to school.

My school is not very far, like four or five kilometers. But life in Kenya in those days was… You had to go to school in the morning, come home to eat, and then you had more classes in the afternoon. Running is the only way not to be late.

Was that when you discovered you wanted to dedicate your life to athletics?

It happened while running to school. I usually win them. And after that I said to myself: ‘Let’s try…’”.

Now, you can live in a mansion anywhere in the world. However, he chose to live a simple life at this training center. Because?

I trust and believe that being grounded is the way to train hard, make sure you don’t get lost, enjoy life, be with people, think and focus on the future.

How did you feel after receiving the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports?

I’m so happy. I never expected to receive an award from the princess of Spain. It really made me happy. I have reviewed the list of past awardees and it is an honor to be among them.

When you received that award, you made sure that “the world of runners is a more peaceful, happier and healthier world.” Can you explain this?

Running brings us together, everyone does it equally and makes us enjoy life in this world… This recognition comes from outside the world of sport. When those people reward you, it means you inspired everyone. (…) I am satisfied and inspired to see that a world has been created that will be a world of runners, a united world, a peaceful world.

What figures inspire you, in and out of sport?

I was inspired by Nelson Mandela because he used to say that sports can unite young people and give hope to those who have lost hope by showing them a way. Mandela also said that sport has the ability to speak a language that the youth, the new generations, can understand. (…) I was also inspired by the leadership of former US President Barack Obama.

What is the secret to achieving successes like yours?

The secret is to stay grounded. If I could give you any advice, it would be to stay grounded. Because then, hopefully your mind will wake up and you can see what’s next.