Eliud Kipchoge is about to make Kenya and the whole proud as he seeks to be the first man to run a marathon distance in less than 2 hours. ( I believe!)
Below are some interesting facts about Kenya’s greatest athlete;
He lost his father when he was young
He is the last born of five siblings and has no memory of his father as he died when he was very young. He and his siblings were raised by his mother who was a nursery school teacher.
He is the last born of five siblings and has no memory of his father as he died when he was very young. He and his siblings were raised by his mother who was a nursery school teacher.
His childhood was marred by poverty
Eliud’s mother struggled to fend for the family and often the family went through some tough times. Eliud would have to run almost six kilometres every day to get to the nearest primary school.
Eliud’s mother struggled to fend for the family and often the family went through some tough times. Eliud would have to run almost six kilometres every day to get to the nearest primary school.
His first job was as a milk vendor
When he left high school in 1999, he got a job where he was supposed to collect milk from the villagers and cycle for 20kilometres to Kapsabet town. He would get paid one shilling for every one litre that he transported. After five months, he had saved enough to buy his first pair of running shoes and sporting gear.
When he left high school in 1999, he got a job where he was supposed to collect milk from the villagers and cycle for 20kilometres to Kapsabet town. He would get paid one shilling for every one litre that he transported. After five months, he had saved enough to buy his first pair of running shoes and sporting gear.
Athletics legend Patrick Sang played a huge role in his success
After his first major win in a 10km marathon, Mr. Sang gifted him with a stopwatch, training gear and most importantly, a training program which was instrumental in helping him develop the discipline and dedication he has.
After his first major win in a 10km marathon, Mr. Sang gifted him with a stopwatch, training gear and most importantly, a training program which was instrumental in helping him develop the discipline and dedication he has.
He is still a young man
Looking at his face you might conclude that he is an old man, but he is just 34 with a beautiful wife and three children. Kipchoge refers to himself as an old soul.
Looking at his face you might conclude that he is an old man, but he is just 34 with a beautiful wife and three children. Kipchoge refers to himself as an old soul.
His Net Worth
Eliud has won 11 of the 12 marathons he has entered. He has won at the Olympics and broken the marathon record by 1min 39secs. His on-track net worth is estimated to be Sh 250 million. Below is the prize money he has earned after winning some major races.
Eliud has won 11 of the 12 marathons he has entered. He has won at the Olympics and broken the marathon record by 1min 39secs. His on-track net worth is estimated to be Sh 250 million. Below is the prize money he has earned after winning some major races.
Berlin marathon (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018)- 20 million Kenya shillings.
London Marathon won all races – 16.5 million shillings.
He is humble
Eliud Kipchoge has remained as humble despite his success and fame. He is soft spoken, holds the Kenyan flag and the people in high regard and has managed to stay away from trouble despite his celebrity status.
Eliud Kipchoge has remained as humble despite his success and fame. He is soft spoken, holds the Kenyan flag and the people in high regard and has managed to stay away from trouble despite his celebrity status.
His training regimen
He is extremely inflexible-After an easy morning run (16km in 1hr10mins) with a group, most of them are fairly flexible in the hamstrings while he couldn’t keep up.
Warm ups/cool downs-Eliud rarely runs more than 15mins (approx 3km) and often closer to just 10mins (approx 2km). It appears that Kipchoge’s training squad to not put any emphases on adding mileage to warm ups/cool downs.
He rarely pushes himself to the limit-It certainly seems that Eliud rarely pushes himself 100% in training. Three times per week (Tues, Thurs, Sat – see training week for more details) he ran hard, but he rarely pushed himself to the limit.
He ran his long tempo runs of 40km+ on an empty stomach-Every morning at 6:10am, they start their morning run. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays it’s a hard workout and on the other days, its easy-medium.
He drinks a lot of tea (with lots of sugar)-Eliud drinks a lot of tea. Before training, after training, and at least two more servings per day of tea, with at least 15g of sugar in each serving with no reason behind it.
