Unlocking Human Potential — Eliud Kipchoge
Amid the bluster and noise which often surrounds professional sport, Eliud Kipchoge embodies the qualities of an aesthetic monk.
Known in the running world as ‘’the philosopher’’, Kipchoge’s contemplative demeanour has allowed him to perfect the craft of running and impart great wisdom on the virtue of discipline.
‘’Only the disciplined ones are free in life. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods; you are a slave to your passions.“
— Eliud Kipchoge
Despite global admiration for his running prowess, Eliud is humbly understated and quietly confident. He is the official marathon world record holder setting a time of 2:01:09 at the 2022 Berlin Marathon solidifying Kipchoge as the greatest marathoner of all time. And it’s not even close. Recently at the 2022 Tokyo Marathon, Kipchoge ran the 4th fastest marathon ever with a winning time of 2:02:40.
Born in 1984, Kapsisiywa, Kenya, Eliud grew up on a rural farm raised by three older siblings and a single mother. He only knows his father from pictures. Kipchoge wasn’t a serious runner or aspiring athlete when he completed secondary school in 1999. Eliud ran a short 3km (2 mile) distance to school and regularly cycled to Kapsabet with a few gallons of his farm’s milk to sell at the local market.
In 2001, at 16 years old, fate would unite Kipchoge with lifetime head trainer, Patrick Sang. The rest is running history.
In 2003, Kipchoge burst onto the running scene at the ripe age of 18 years old defeating 2 legends of the track in Hicham El Guerrouj and Kenenisa Bekele in an epic 5000m showdown at the Paris Track and Field World Championship.
- Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 12:52.79
- Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 12:52.83
- Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 12:53.12
But shifting from middle-distance running to marathons, Eliud found his groove at the 26.2 mile distance winning 10 consecutive major marathons he entered between 2014 and 2019. Virtually unchallenged, Eliud is the reigning 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion and only man to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon distance. (Assisted)
At the pinnacle of major league sports, top tier athletes become brand ambassadors for luxury fashion houses and Swiss watch manufacturers. The faces of opulence and youthful affluence. Known to drape themselves in designer garms and VVS jewellery, NBA players commonly perform impromptu fashion shows as they enter the arena for practice. With a bankroll to match Tony Stark, (Iron Man) today’s athletes are real life superheroes ushered around the globe in private jets to exclusive holiday destinations. Top earning football stars are known to veil their veneers behind tinted windows as they exit stadiums in a modest fleet of supercars. For their dedication and unparalleled genetic gifts, they are rewarded with the utmost admiration and riches. But not every multi-millionaire athlete presents a façade of lavish decadence…
Eliud’s training grounds are the vast plains of Kaptagat, Kenya, 7800–8200 feet above sea level.
When preparing for competition, Kipchoge leaves his spacious family home in Eldoret (Still at a remarkable elevation of 6800 feet) to join his training partners in a modest training facility where athletes bunk together and clean up after themselves. In training camp, he shares a 8x10ft room with a fellow athlete, and shares communal lavatories. His night stand rests all his water bottles for training. Kipchoge is part of the training camp roster of cleaning duties and isn’t above cleaning toilets and sweeping the dining hall maintaining equal status among his training partners of whom he respects deeply.
“100% of me is nothing compared to 1% of the entire team” — Eliud Kipchoge
The squad churn through slight variations of the same workouts, week in, week out for 4 months before a major marathon.
Typical long runs in training consist of 30–40 km efforts transporting the athletes to different climates in the Kaptagat region. The elder athletes scope out the clouds the night before to determine the likelihood of rain and routes to run accordingly.
Nutrition is simple. Traditional Kenyan Tea takes centre stage and meals around the Kenyan basics of Ugali and rice with home baked breads and the occasional helping of beef sustain Kipchoge year round. Ensuring to drink 3 litres of water a day, Kipchoge is well accustomed to hydrating himself during recovery. His diet consists of almost purely unprocessed fruits, vegetables, porridge, potatoes and beans. Eliud’s diet plan is devoid of indulgent fare like steak, processed poultry, sausages, or french fries — all of which we’ve come to know as staples in the Western (American) diet.(Is anyone surprised these foods aren’t part of peak human-athletic-performance…?)
Twice a week, Kipchoge and his training partners perform a 60-minute session of strength and mobility exercises using yoga mats and resistance bands. He doesn’t lift weights, and the goal behind these exercises is chiefly injury prevention. Kipchoge also makes a point to rest from running for 3–4 weeks after each major marathon before repeating his training cycle.
“In the offseason I allow my body to recover, my mind to recover. I like to be with my family, to read books, and know what is going on in the world, to understand how people think.” — Eliud Kipchoge
Kipchoge shows the athletics world that the basis of a high-performance program is not to be mistaken with expensive resources and expansive facilities. (A few top Kenyan running squads reiterate this.) Rather, that it’s about working in a well-managed system with knowledgeable passionate people, and working alongside dedicated teammates who share a common goal.
The pride of an entire nation rests on the shoulders of this running great, and Eliud Kipchoge takes it graciously in stride, humbly accepting the challenge to give his best every single training block. Every major marathon. Every new world record attempt.
Eliud is in a fierce competition. Astonishingly, at 38 years old, that competition resides exclusively with himself. At this point, Eliud Kipchoge is unlocking the bounds of human potential.
And how lucky we are to witness it!
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