Eliud Kipchoge exclusive! Marathon legend reveals secrets behind his longevity: "Long runs make my mind strong, consistent, and respect that pain.”
Eliud Kipchoge began setting very high goals for himself as a young boy. But unlike most of his peers in Kenya, his 3km daily trek to and from secondary school didn’t spark any interest in athletics.
Instead, it was the picturesque horizons of Nandi County, southwest Kenya, and beyond that sparked his imagination.
“Then, [I told] myself, let me just run to test. Jump into the plane and go to Europe and run. So, my aim was not even to do other things, but to feel that sweetness of being high on the clouds,” he shares of his early thrill-seeking spirit in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com.
This seemingly mundane dream may have sown the seeds of an extraordinary running career, a ‘world where no human is limited', according to the legend himself.
“It’s believing in myself that that's made me really hit the wall and go across that wall,” he continued.
For 11 years now, the marathon has been the focus of his daily life. The two-time world record holder accomplished an incredible 10-race unbeaten streak in major marathons between 2014 and 2019.
“It's tough being at the top… You need to have the sixth sense in order for you to stay at the top.”
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, he will be attempting an unprecedented Olympic treble in the marathon.
Eliud Kipchoge: 'The more the pain, the more you hit your target'
It’s easy to pick out Eliud Kipchoge even in the limited light of dawn as he heads towards the gates of the Global Sport Communication training camp in Kaptagat.
He’s leading the group, his steps tinged with now familiar confidence.
Early morning is the busiest time not only here, but across several training camps in the surrounding areas, as runners clock endless miles on tarmac and dirt trails in the Great Rift Valley.
The 40km long run he’s about to embark on, has been the core of his training for the past decade, defining most of his life.
“I like the long runs, because I am running for long,” the Kenyan star said in an exclusive interview with Olympics.com. “Makes my mind to really work hard for more than two hours. Makes me strong. It makes my mind strong, to be consistent, to respect that pain.”
Since stepping into the marathon turf, Kipchoge who has topped 16 races from his 20 starts, has never let the pain show on his face.
There is the usual distant look in his eyes. He sometimes breaks into a grin on the training course. Through his 40km long run with his teammates, he stays at the front of the pack for most of the training, comfortable and content.
His coach of more than 22 years, Patrick Sang, is there to ensure a gradual build-up of pace, monitoring the action from a vehicle on the side of the training group.
His most brutal sessions include 15-20km of speed work on Tuesday, long runs on alternate Thursdays, and Fartlek training on Saturdays consisting of 13 blocks of 3-minute fast runs/and one-minute jogs.
It does get uncomfortable, Kipchoge admitted, but he takes discomfort as an indication of progress.
“Everything is a challenge, and everyday programme is a challenge. We have three big days in a week, and we put all our effort there,” explained the reigning marathon Olympic champion.
“Pain is everywhere, but we say we win marathons in preparations, so the more you get a lot of pain, but you hit your targets in a good way.”
Kipchoge: A model of consistency and humility
The former world marathon record holder is a model of consistency.
His training cycle has been nearly the same since he has been based at his high-altitude training camp and began working with his long-term renowned coach Sang as a 5000m runner.
Kipchoge and his 24 teammates stay at the camp from Monday to Saturday. His wife Grace, and children **Lynne,**17, Griffin 13, and Gordon,11, remain his driving force.
“I spend my Sundays totally with my family. I go for early training, 30km then after we go to the church, then go for lunch. [I spend] the afternoon with the boys playing football, doing what's necessary at home. Monday, back again into the camp.”
Entering the Kaptagat camp is akin to immersing oneself in a wellness retreat. The lush greenery is from a haven of trees mostly planted by Kipchoge, his training mates and some visitors to the camp.
“Taking an internal shower is not a physical shower but more like a self-appraisal of your workout and your performance in training,” he said of the morning routine checklist. Like most aspects of his life, simple daily wellness habits promote continuous self-awareness.
Nuggets of wisdom like that are dotted around the camp, as seen below.
Some of the nuggets of wisdom around the Kaptagat high altitude training camp.
“When we are here, we are not just athletes, but we are also learning [about life]. We are trying to bring everyone to be human and to be on one level,” expounded Laban Korir, a marathoner and the serving president of the Kaptagat training camp. He pointed to a notice board where the athletes’ cleaning schedules and kitchen duties are pinned.
“Teamwork is the biggest thing in the camp. That’s why we do not only have a training timetable, but also a schedule for how we clean the surroundings and even cook.
“Since 2010 we have been training here with Eliud. You cannot [know] that this is a world record holder or an Olympic champion,” he continued as he moves to the camp’s library that has largely been stocked by Kipchoge, the most avid reader of the group.
“In training, he is always there behind us, telling us guys slow down, he doesn’t push to show us that he is an Olympic champion. He is just here, calm and enjoying the training. I have learnt patience from him, especially in training when you feel the body is pushing.”
Eliud Kipchoge goes through the long run with his training mates in Kaptagat.
Eliud Kipchoge on fourth marathon loss: I learn more in defeats
“I trust myself. I trust in my training. I trust my everything,” Kipchoge answered on how he has been able to benefit from his runs, as well as the strength and mobility workouts they do twice-weekly.
“I have the self-belief that I have done enough, which can allow me to run for the whole marathon, from the first to the 42km.”
The four-time Olympic medallist has never failed to finish a race in his career. Be it in on the cross-country courses where he started off, to the track, or on the roads where he has taken like a duck to water.
Even after stinging defeats like at his last race in March, the 2024 Tokyo Marathon, where he recorded his lowest finish at position 10, he remained satisfied with his efforts.
“The road has been a bit bumpy, but we need to keep strong. I am learning how to handle the setbacks. A huge setback comes with huge repercussions and everything,” the 2003 world 5000m gold medallist admitted in his usual philosophical manner, of his fourth marathon loss.
“Defeat is important for me in that I will learn more. I will learn how to handle the negative part.”
He’s discovered that disappointments are even lonelier when you are a champion.
“It's tough being at the top. It's really tough, because a lot of expectations are there with performance, with life's expectations.”
Eliud Kipchoge: 'Longevity is the key to every sportsman or sportsman'
The fastest marathoner alive continues to relish the beauty of being uncomfortable. It has helped him chase milestones once deemed impossible, like completing a marathon in under two hours.
And as he returns to the French capital where he first rose to fame, Kipchoge has all the right motivation necessary for a memorable performance.
“Paris is special for me, first is that that's where my life started - 2003 when I just won my first global medal in 5000m. And secondly, I'll be celebrating more than two decades in running," he said.
“It's really funny to know that somebody was born in 2003 when I was winning a gold medal, and I am here with them at this time,” said the nearly 40-year-old which makes him one of the oldest and most experienced entrants in the men’s marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, alongside his long-time rival Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele and Swiss naturalised runner Tadese Abraham who are both 42.
“I'm happy to see them, happy to tell the story for the last 20 years, and my story will be easy, because they will work on what I'm doing and also try to spend another 20 years in their lives in sport."
Kipchoge is looking to cement his legacy as the first athlete to win an Olympic marathon three times when he competes at his fifth Games since winning 5000m bronze on debut Athens 2004. He remains driven by passion for the sport, but also making a difference.
“I trust I will win that gold medal in Paris,” he told Olympics.com, speaking slowly but firmly, brushing any worries.
“I'll be the happiest man in the universe, and it will really open to the world that no human is limited and what to put in your heart and mind, one day you'll actually be open.”