Eliud Kipchoge: “My secret is to stay firmly on the ground”

Eliud Kipchoge — winner of the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for Sport and, for many, the greatest marathoner of all time — is a legend sitting on a plastic chair. Instead of a life of luxury, his home is a simple training center in western Kenya where he now talks to Efe. Kipchoge shares this quiet corner — the area didn’t even have electricity until the center’s sponsors recently installed solar panels — with the dozens of runners he lives and trains with every day.

The Kenyan twice broke the world record in the marathon. He won two consecutive Olympic marathons. And he is the only human being who ran that distance (42,195 kilometers) in less than two hours.

To achieve this latest feat in 2019. kipchoge He took advantage of some conditions that World Athletics does not allow in official competitions. However, the marathon runner assures that, despite this, it is his endeavor of which he feels most proud. “It is history. And it will stay forever,” he says.

—Do you think we are close to someone dropping under two hours in an official marathon?

– I think it is possible. Some broker will get it in the future.

“Would you like to try it?”

“I don’t know… I think I’ve already shown the other runners the way.” (…) The world is open now that we have shown people that there are no borders.

“And what other goals do you have?” Only those in Boston and New York are left for him to win all the so-called Great Marathons. Would you like to participate in them before the 2024 Olympics?

“I have those races on my wish list. (…) But the Olympic Games are important to me. I will try harder at the Olympics and maybe take a break from other things. (…) Three victories in Olympic marathons in a row will make me happy. 2024 is an important year for me.

— And the marathon in Valencia?

—I think I have a long wish list… But I think Valencia is a very fast race. (…) It is a place where one really steps.

— You said that your first races were aimed at starting school.

“My school was not far, four or five kilometers. But life in Kenya in those days was… You had to go to school in the morning, come home to eat, and then have more classes in the afternoon. Running was the only way not to be late.

— Did you discover then that you wanted to dedicate your life to athletics?

“It happened during school runs. I usually won them over. And after that I said to myself: ‘let’s try…’.

“Now you could live in a mansion anywhere in the world.” But he decided to live a simple life in this training center. Because?

— I believe and believe that being with your feet on the ground is a way to train well, not to deviate from the path, enjoy life, be with people, think and focus on the future.

— How did you feel after receiving the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports in 2023?

– I was very happy. I did not expect to receive an award from a Spanish princess. That really made me very happy. I have reviewed the list of previous awardees and I am honored to be among them.

— When you received that award, you assured that “the world of runners is a calmer, happier and healthier world”. Can you explain this?

— Running unites us, everyone works equally and makes us enjoy life in this world… This recognition came from outside the world of sports. When these people can reward you, it means that you have inspired everyone. (…) I am satisfied and inspired to see that a world has been created that will be a world of runners, a united world, a peaceful world.

— Which figures inspire you, inside and outside of sports?

— Nelson Mandela inspires me because he used to say that sport can unite young people and give hope to those who have lost it, showing them the way. Mandela also said that sport is able to speak a language that young people, the new generation, are able to understand. (…) I am also inspired by the leadership of former US President Barack Obama.

—What is the secret of achieving feats like yours?

The secret is to stay grounded. If I can give you any advice, it is simply to stay grounded. Because then your mind will hopefully wake up and you’ll be able to see what’s next.”