HOW KIPCHOGE BROKE MARATHON WORLD RECORD TWICE
A new world record was made at the Berlin marathon recently by the remarkable Eliud Kipchoge
THE four-year old marathon world record was smashed to pieces two Sundays ago at the same place it was made, thanks to the speed and endurance of the great Eliud Kipchoge. On Sept 16, the Kenyan marathoner broke the marathon world record by running — no, make that flying — the Berlin marathon at 2:01:39.
Let me break this into smaller chunks to show just how fast Kipchoge was. The Olympic gold medalist ran each kilometre in less than three minutes, all 42 of them. Commentators have called him the Usain Bolt of marathon — the fastest man ever — because he broke the record made by Dennis Kimetto on the same route four years ago by an astounding 78 seconds. That’s the largest margin made in a new marathon record in over 50 years.
Kipchoge is no stranger to speed. Last year, at Nike’s Breaking2 event in Monza, Italy, an event staged to break the twohour barrier for a marathon, he finished in 2:00:25. Because of the nature of the race — including pacers who run a speed for that purpose and drinks and water delivered to the runners
— it wasn’t considered a record of any kind. But still, the race showed the power of human endurance and Kipchoge was its poster boy.
This time, with Nike Vaporfly 4 per cent Flyknits on his feet, he ripped the old world record and set an even faster time to beat.
In this exclusive interview for Heal, Kipchoge, who is often photographed smiling, speaks about the race, his training and his immense love for the marathon. WAS THIS THE PERFECT RACE FOR YOU? Yes, it was. I was alone on the last 17km, but I didn’t think at all about the fact that I was alone. I just thought that I had to keep up this pace until the very last kilometre. WHEN DID YOU KNOW IN THIS RACE THAT YOU WOULD BREAK THE WORLD RECORD? I was sure I would be able to set up a new record after 30km. AT THE END OF A MARATHON, YOU SEE A LOT OF FACES IN PAIN. WHAT DO YOU DO AGAINST THIS PAIN? Pain is everywhere when you run a marathon, but you have to try to keep these thoughts out of your mind and only concentrate on the race. WHAT RUNS THROUGH YOUR HEAD DURING A RACE LIKE THIS, AND HOW DO YOU SEEK TO PUSH YOUR LIMITS? I don’t believe in limits. When I train, I try to listen to my body and challenge it to go beyond barriers when the moment is right. THE SUB 2 BARRIER IS STILL ON. WHAT DO YOU THINK MUST HAPPEN SO THIS BARRIER CAN BE BROKEN IN A REGULAR STREET RACE? It is no rocket science to break this barrier. You simply have to believe in it, you need a great team that believes in it and in you, you need the perfect shoes and you need to be stronger than any runner before. Then everything is possible. YOU WERE RUNNING IN A SHOE THAT WAS DEVELOPED WITH YOU. HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU THINK YOU SHAVED OFF BECAUSE OF IT? Actually, the shoe is for every runner out there, not only for me. I tested it and Nike took in my feedback. I contributed in making a shoe that is faster than any shoe before. But it is still the runner who needs to run fast. WHAT ARE THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS A RUNNER NEEDS TO RUN A MARATHON? Steady and consistent training, passion and self-discipline. Self-discipline is about focusing and living a simple life. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR HOBBY RUNNERS WHO ARE TRAINING TO FINISH THEIR FIRST MARATHON? Of course training is important. But more important is the passion you put into it. You have to strongly believe that you are able to make it and be able to run this distance. That’s the magic of a marathon. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ACHIEVED YOUR DREAM AT THIS RACE? Absolutely, yes. I expected to run a World Record, but I didn’t expect the time of 2:01. I had hoped to just be able to run under 2:02:57. YOU HAVE AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL. YOU’VE BROKEN THE WORLD MARATHON RECORD. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT, CAREER WISE? My plans are a blank piece of paper. I normally go by one plan at a time and my plan was to run the Berlin marathon. Now, I will take some time for recovery. I have a family, so I want to spend time with them too. I like reading books to get stories from around the world. That’s what I do when I’m in recovery. YOU SAID YOU HAD A PLAN FOR THIS RACE. WHAT WAS IT? It was a simple plan: Keep a high pace and run the first half between 61 and 61:15 minutes. I did it. HOW WAS THE ATMOSPHERE ALONG THE RACE TRACK? People were amazing. Without them cheering it would have been much harder at the end. Their support was music to my ears. YOU LEFT YOUR COMPETITORS FAR BEHIND RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE RACE. DID YOU EXPECT THAT? I did not think about my competitors at all, the only thing I focused on were the splits I wanted to run. YOUR PACERS LEFT AT KM25 AND THEN YOU HAD TO RUN ALL ALONE. WAS THIS PLANNED? I didn’t expect to be alone after 30km. But I am really grateful to the pacers that they got me there and supported me until 25km. DO YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN RUN THE EVENT BETTER THAN THE RECORD YOU SET? I think no human is limited. Everything is possible, and records are there to be broken. YOU ARE ALWAYS SMILING EVEN DURING EXHAUSTING RACES. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IN SUCH MOMENTS? Marathon is life. And if you really want to be happy, then you have to enjoy life. That’s why I smile. I enjoy running the marathon.
I think no human is limited. Everything is possible, and records are there to be broken.
Eliud Kipchoge