{"id":34750,"date":"2019-11-11T14:17:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T06:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runsociety.com\/?p=34750"},"modified":"2019-11-27T18:23:54","modified_gmt":"2019-11-27T10:23:54","slug":"eliud-kipchoge-world-marathoner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runsociety.com\/opinions\/eliud-kipchoge-world-marathoner\/","title":{"rendered":"Eliud Kipchoge: A Titan On and Off the Marathon Circuit"},"content":{"rendered":"

When \u201cTime\u201d magazine editors sent Sean Gregory in search of the Kenyan running star<\/strong> who broke the 2-hour time barrier, the journalist found Eliud Kipchoge to be modest and filled with humility, despite his Herculean running resume.<\/p>\n

His world records and Olympic medals are great accomplishments, but it’s his character that shone during the interview.<\/p>\n

Reluctant to assume the mantle as today\u2019s greatest marathon runner of all time, Kipchoge, born on 5 November 1984, the son of a single mom and the youngest of four siblings, has been focused on the future for most of his life.<\/p>\n

At age 16, he was spotted by trainer\/coach Patrick Sang, a former Olympic medalist himself, while attending secondary school.<\/p>\n

The Road to Glory<\/h2>\n

Having shown such promise at such an early age, nobody was surprised to see him dressed in the colors of Kenya while standing atop the medal platform to receive a bronze medal in Athens in 2004.<\/p>\n

Just two years later, he took the bronze at the 2006 World Championships in Moscow and moved up to silver status in 2008 in Beijing.<\/p>\n

On the road to stardom, Kipchoge kept pushing his limits, winning gold during the 2016 summer Olympics where he was heralded as being \u201conly the second Kenyan male after Sammy Wanjiru in Beijing 2008 to win an Olympic marathon gold medal.\u201d Not bad for a man who has yet celebrated his 35th birthday!<\/p>\n

\"Eliud<\/p>\n

A Personal Life Beyond Reproach<\/h2>\n

Do Kipchoge\u2019s three children see him as the front-page newsmaker whose photo appears above captions like \u201cWorld record holder Eliud Kipchoge has made history by being the first human to run a marathon in under two hours\u201d?<\/p>\n

In fact, he\u2019s just Dad to Lynne, Griffin and Jordon, whose mom Grace Sugut is her husband\u2019s number one fan. Yet their life is fairly ordinary. \u201cI cook for him ugali and mursik and he loves roasted maize so much,\u201d Grace enthuses when talking about meals she makes for the man she adores.<\/p>\n

Of course, life has changed dramatically since Eliud became a global sensation. He \u201cPicked up \u00a338,000 for his stunning display in Berlin last year…\u00a3534,000 for setting a new world record…\u00a339,000 by winning the 2018 London Marathon and banked \u00a342,500 with his victory in 2019,\u201d notes the publication Networth.<\/p>\n

Those feet are the key to an estimated $2.5 million dollars in revenue\u2014not all of it earned by running.<\/p>\n

Endorsements Galore<\/h2>\n

When athletes reach the level of fame ascribed to Kipchoge, it\u2019s not surprising that endorsement deals began pouring in early on. The brand that\u2019s most closely identified with this super runner is Nike, a partnership that harkens back to 2016 when the company\u2019s innovative Vaporfly shoes were introduced as the footwear engineered specifically to \u201cbreak the 26.2-mile race elusive 2-hour barrier.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the runner responsible for setting the milestone, Kipchoge came up just 25 seconds short when a much-publicized test run took place in Italy on May 6, 2017.<\/p>\n

Undaunted, he continued to set and break records, while happily enjoying commercial success as a spokesperson for Maurten, a company manufacturing the hydrogel he promotes.<\/p>\n

It’s formulated with substantive amounts of easily digested carbs and a product Kipchoge consumed on the day he missed that record-breaking time by 25 seconds. He also serves as a brand ambassador for Isuzu EA Ltd automobiles.<\/p>\n

No Road to Success is Paved with Perfection<\/h2>\n

For Eliud Kipchoge, even his best runs aren\u2019t always ones that are considered successes. When he crossed the finish line with his first record-setting 1:59:40 time at long last, he celebrated by saying, \u201cI\u2019m the happiest man and happy to inspire other people to know that no human is unlimited.\u201d<\/p>\n

But his elation was short-lived because the IAAF, the sport\u2019s universal governing body, does not recognise a run \u201cas an official record\u201d if it is achieved outside open competition and uses \u201cin and out\u201d pacemakers.<\/p>\n

Was Eliud discouraged? Not a bit. Known by friends, competitors and industry officials alike as \u201cThe Philosopher\u201d he takes whatever blows that come his way as life lessons rather than unfortunate incidents.<\/p>\n

Also described as a \u201cvoracious reader of self-help books,\u201d he adopts quotes uttered by men and women over the ages and uses them to inspire the people he meets on and off the circuit. You may wish to adopt some of Eliud\u2019s favourite sayings yourself!<\/p>\n

\"Eliud<\/p>\n

The wisdom of Kipchoge; In his own words<\/p>\n