Marathon king Eliud Kipchoge: "Where will I run if all the trees are being depleted?”

Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge has been having sleepless nights.

The reason? An environmental crisis that some day soon may prevent him from enjoying the long runs he has so adored all his life.

Running through forests has been a fundamental part of Kipchoge's training that has powered him to Olympic and world glory on multiple occasions.

But the conducive green land, the ideal running weather, and the fresh air that he and all other runners need are under serious threat.

“Sometimes I wake up at midnight and I ask myself, ‘Where will I run if all the trees are being depleted?’” the Kenyan marathon legend revealed during a zoom call with athletics media.

As a result, Kipchoge had decided to do something about the crisis. Now, he also wants his fellow athletes to speak out on the environment and spread awareness about climate change.

Kipchoge’s latest challenge

Eliud Kipchoge has been running for most of his life.

As a young boy he would run to and from school, covering 6km every day, before he went on to win countless titles over his 20-year professional career.

He has tested and broken limits, becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours.

The 36-year-old also holds the world record for the marathon of 2:01.38.

He also went ten races unbeaten on the marathon course.

Competing in his fourth Games at Tokyo 2020, the Kenyan won Olympic medal number four and defended his marathon title.

The eight-time major marathon winner is taking on what is arguably his biggest challenge yet: a race against the climate crisis.

Extreme heat has caused wildfires around the world, while sudden floods have seriously affected several countries including his home nation.

The warming weather conditions is also making it hard for him and his fellow runners to train for long-distance races.

“I would like to play a huge role by participating in conferences, trying to reason with the world on climate change and how to conserve the environment,” he continued.

“I would (like to) rally my fellow athletes, and those who manage the sport, to organise races where people can run for noble conservation causes. I would also urge governments to encourage their citizens to walk and run around and adopt bare lands and turn them into forests.”

Dedicating birthdays to conservation efforts

In 2020, Kipchoge adopted 50 hectares of forest land near his famed training base in Kaptagat, situated in Kenya’s vast Rift Valley.

He now wants to adopt a forest in every one of Kenya’s 47 counties.

He hopes his initiatives can be boosted around the world by dedicating birthdays and anniversaries to conservation efforts.

“Can we convert our birthdays and plant a tree? Can we convert our birthdays to walk for the noble cause of climate change? Convert our anniversaries and plant trees or walk?

Kipchoge, who is also a world 5000m gold medallist, hopes to champion these causes through his newly launched Eliud Kipchoge Foundation that focuses on two pillars: education and environment.

Influenced by his own experience, seeing 'most athletes dropping out of school' to pursue running careers, he aims to boost the existing education programmes in Kenya.

“Running is a talent, but we use education to propel talent. I am an example. I have a small education, but it has propelled me to a certain level,” said Kipchoge who grew up on a farm in Kapsabet, from where he would cycle to sell family milk at the local market.

Back on the track

Kipchoge is back in training after his Tokyo Olympics heroics.

For now, he isn't planning to run a major marathon this year, but is aiming to do so in 2022.

“Running next year is still on my mind, but I don’t know whether I will run the World Championships,“ he told Olympics.com.

“I'll roll out my programme in October, to run one marathon and a World Championships next year, something like that. But my mind is still clear and empty but by October it will be occupied by one of the marathons for next year.”