Eliud Kipchoge: The Marathon GOAT

From 5,000 m to the marathon, he never slowed down!

Eliud Kipchoge was born on November 5, 1984 in Kenya 🇰🇪. He hasn't been running since yesterday. He started with the 5,000 m, winning a bronze medal 🥉 at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and a silver medal in Beijing in 2008 🥈. After not being selected for the London Olympics in 2012, he transitioned to the marathon. He ran his first half-marathon in 59’25 in Lille and won his first marathon in Hamburg in 2 h 05 in 2013 🇩🇪.

The record that makes your calves tremble

Hold on tight, Eliud Kipchoge is a double Olympic marathon champion (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021) 🥇. In September 2022, he set the marathon world record in 2 h 01 min 09 in Berlin, an achievement celebrated worldwide. But wait, that's not all. In 2017, during the Breaking2 project launched by Nike, he nearly breached the mythical two-hour barrier with a time of 2 h 00 min 25. In 2019, he became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours, in 1 h 59 min 40 during the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna. The time is not officially recognized, but seriously… do you know anyone else who has run a marathon faster than your Sunday jog + coffee included? ☕ For his first participation in the Boston Marathon, the world record holder had a disappointing sixth place, marking his worst performance in ten years and failing to complete his goal of winning the six major world marathons.

No magic potion, just a simple lifestyle 🧘. His fuel is a local diet, consisting of vegetables, fruits, beans, and Kenyan tea 🫛. His training is structured, up to 200 to 230 km per week. He performs long runs, interval sessions, and well-integrated recovery. For over 20 years, he has been trained by Patrick Sang, who has turned him into a model of consistency and performance.

A mindset to follow: “No human is limited”

This quote sums up his philosophy 📖. For him, everyone can push their limits through hard work, patience, and determination. This message applies beyond sports. He inspires all runners to aim for a better version of themselves.

Why are we telling you about this on Finishers? 🩵

Because here, we know the real race is against oneself. And Kipchoge is the embodiment of that transcendence. It doesn't matter if it takes you 2 hours or 6 hours to finish a marathon, every finisher is a hero 🦸. So yeah, you might never beat his time, but you can be inspired by his discipline, his mentality, and above all, his smile at the finish 🏁.