WHEN YOU ASK the greatest marathoner of all time what he'd be doing with his life if he'd never picked up running, you're going to get a quizzical look. When I pose the question, Eliud Kipchoge's brow furrows a bit and stays furrowed. Not angry, not annoyed, more like I'd just started speaking Esperanto.
It's the end of a Monday at his training camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, where he arrived this morning after spending most of the weekend with his wife, Grace Sugut, and their three children at home 20 miles away, and where he'll stay until he goes back on Saturday, as he does each week. The work of Monday is done (a long-ish run in the morning and an easy hour in the afternoon), and dinner awaits.
So far in our talk, Kipchoge has been affable and polite. In conversation, as on the course, he presents himself as the epitome of clean living, clean training, and clean thinking. He is a devout Catholic. He's had the same coach-1992 Olympic steeplechase silver medalist Patrick Sang-for more than 20 years. He eats well, runs hard, reads those inspirational books you see in airport bookstores (his all-time favorite: the motivational fable Who Moved My Cheese?). If not for the wife and kids, we'd call him monastic. His answers rarely stray far from the subjects of a positive mindset and dedication to peak performance, and when they do, like a patient coach, he leads them gently back. But right now, Kipchoge is not unaffable or impolite, he's just...still. And I feel like I've offended him.
This story is from the Issue 03, 2023 edition of Runner's World US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 03, 2023 edition of Runner's World US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PARENTING THROUGH RUNNING
I GRAB MY headlamp and run down the driveway, heading out for the quiet streets an hour before sunrise.
STOP LISTENING TO MUSIC WHILE YOU RUN! (TRY AUDIOBOOKS INSTEAD)
I'VE RUN MORE than 30 marathons over the past 20 years, but I recently found one hack that has made my last two training cycles the most fun I've ever had logging a ton of miles: audiobooks.
RISE OF THE "ILLEGAL" RUNNING SHOES
Banned shoes emerged courtside long before they found their way onto a marathon course.
THE SECRET TO SPEED IS IN YOUR BLOOD
Some of the world's best runners credit this unorthodox Norwegian training method for their success. Is it right for you?
TEAM BONDING AND AMATEUR FILMMAKING
I WENT TO my first high-school cross-country practice freshman year in jean shorts, mostly walking as I heaved and huffed.
I NEED A DRINK RUN
TO KEEP THE cold at bay one December night in 2022, my friend Justine and I got together for some mulled wine, a hot drink as delicious as it is sentimental to me, reminding me of holiday gatherings and Christmas markets back home in the Czech Republic.
HOW TO START A RUN WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT
I'VE ALWAYS FELT validation when reading a story about writers and their love of procrastination.
THE CASE FOR NOT RUNNING
I HAVE TO let you in on a little secret: I haven't been running much these last few months, and it's the best decision I've made.
THANKS, SPECTATORS!
IN THE EARLY MORNING hours of Marathon Sunday, the nerves hit me even before I donned the shirt I made for the race, with \"ALY\" across my chest in hot-pink glittery letters.
HOW FAR CAN RUNNING LAKEYOU AFTER A DECADE OF ADDICTION!
WHEN MITCH AMMONS FINALLY GOT CLEAN, HE COULD BARELY JOG A HALF MILE. NOW HE'S LINING UP WITH SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S TOP DISTANCE RUNNERS AT THE 2024 OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS.