Eliud Kipchoge was born to run. But he has worked so relentlessly to both develop his physical talent and understand how the mind functions under severe stress that he has mined his athletic potential to a degree very few sportspersons have.
The Kenyan legend demolished his own marathon world record in Berlin on Sunday, clocking 2 hours, 1 minute, 9 seconds to shave 30 seconds off his previous best mark of 2:01:39 set on the same course back in 2018. Berlin is favoured by runners for its flat course — indeed, the men’s record has now been set eight times in a row in the city — but only one runner, another all-time great, has matched Kipchoge’s dominance in the German capital.
It was Kipchoge’s fourth win in Berlin, equalling the record set by Haile Gebrselassie. The Ethiopian great — like Kipchoge now — also set two world records (in 2007 and 2008) in Berlin.
“My legs and my body still feel young,” the 37-year-old Kipchoge said. “But the most important thing is my mind, and that also feels fresh and young. I’m so happy to break the world record.”
The conditions in Berlin were ideal for fast racing: cool, around 11 degrees Celsius after a night of showers, with no more precipitation and no wind.
Blistering pace
Kipchoge, who said before the marathon that his only goal was “to run a good race”, burst out of the blocks, clearly aiming not only for a world record but to beat the two-hour mark. He set a blistering pace along the fast inner-city course on an overcast day, covering the first 10km in just 28:23 and clocking 42:32 at the 15km mark, hinting at a sub-two-hour attempt.
Defending champion Guye Adola and Ethiopian compatriot Andamlak Belihu managed to keep pace, initially, but Adola dropped back a few metres as Kipchoge was clocking kilometre-splits of between 2:47 and 2:50.
Indeed, at the halfway point, passed at 59:51, the back-to-back Olympic champion in Rio and Tokyo looked set to become the first to officially run under the elusive two-hour mark. Kipchoge had broken the two-hour barrier in Vienna in 2019 when he ran 1:59:40 in a race that did not conform to regulations — the feat was not recognised as the official world record as it was not in open competition and he used a team of rotating pacemakers.
The last pacemaker in Berlin dropped off at the 25km mark, leaving Kipchoge on his own, but Belihu remained on his heels. Kipchoge did slow slightly thereafter, reaching the 30km mark in 1:25:40. Although the possibility of something truly momentous for mankind faded, the world record remained in his sights. Passing through the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate just as the sun started to emerge, a beaming Kipchoge crossed the finish line to set another record.
“I planned to go out fast in the first half,” Kipchoge said, adding that he was the “happiest man” when he crossed the finish line and had “no regrets” about coming so close to the two-hour mark. “Berlin is a place where anybody has a chance to push their limits,” said Kipchoge. “I always say I don’t believe in limits, I know what limits are, I always say no human is limited.
“I am happy with my preparation and I think I was so fast because of the teamwork. Everything is down to teamwork. What motivates me is my family, and I want to inspire young people. Sport unites people and that is what motivates me.”
Asked about future attempts at tackling the mythical two-hour mark in open competition, Kipchoge brought back a saying he has used in the past. “I am African and in Africa we believe you chase one rabbit at a time,” a smiling Kipchoge said. “So the rabbit we chased as a team was the Berlin Marathon 2022. Let us plan for another day. I will celebrate this record and have to realise what happens. Just roll and see what happens.”
Focus directed inward
Kipchoge’s philosophy of focusing on himself and refusing to be constrained by what is commonly thought possible informs his training at the world-famous high-altitude Kaptagat camp in Kenya’s Rift Valley. “I don’t go to Google to see how others run or YouTube to see how others run,” he said. “I trust that I am doing the right thing at the right time. I treat myself on the line that I am the one well trained. I know something else can happen, but I respect my training.”
“Marathon training is tiresome, cumbersome, and very long,” he told olympics. com. “But the main and basic tactic [to run a good marathon race] is during training and not during the race. If you train well then, your tactics can go well. If you train halfway, even with the best tactics then you can’t achieve. A human being is his mind. When your mind is okay, then your muscles are good. I don’t run by my legs, I run by my heart and mind. If your mind is calm, well-concentrated, your whole body is well-controlled and well taken care of.”
A significant aspect of training the mind is subjecting it to stress. At camp, 2500m above sea level, Kipchoge’s schedule consists of a long run of 30-40km every week or every other week, depending on how close to competition he is. He alternates between a hilly and “a fairly medium” course. “The long run is crucial for me... It tells my body that you need to run that long,” Kipchoge explained. “The more I do the long run, the more actually my body responds to running for a very long time and for performing in a race.”
Kipchoge has also embraced technology, shoe technology in particular, which is a controversial subject in running, with some calling it ‘technological doping’. The Kenyan is among a host of runners who have run in specially designed Nike shoes fitted with carbon-fibre plates for more spring and quicker times. “If we don’t embrace technology then we are not moving... I know regulations will be there but technology should take centre stage,” Kipchoge said.
“Let all athletes have top technology, have top innovation. That’s the only way to think and actually try to improve your performance.”
The 37-year-old, who has lost only twice over 42.195km, was a top-class track athlete — he is a World champion and an Olympic silver medallist over 5000m — before turning his attention to the road. With two Olympic triumphs and 10 World Marathon Majors victories, Kipchoge has done more than enough to be considered the greatest marathon runner of all time.
But the Kenyan isn’t done yet. “Paris 2024 is critically crucial for me,” he told olympics. com. “I trust I’ll be lining up and having a lot of energy to run all through the Olympic Games in the next two years. It’s very important because I’ll be running to make history.” Another ambition also continues to be stoked. “One day a human will run a normal marathon under two hours,” Kipchoge declared. He will be doing everything within his powers to make sure it’s him.
