A Part of Hearst Digital Media, Eliud Kipchoge has been the dominant figure in marathoning, setting two world records, winning two Olympic titles, and breaking the seemingly untouchable 2-hour barrier at an unofficial exhibition race in Vienna. He’s perhaps the most recognizable distance runner in the world and earned—with little debate—the nickname “the GOAT.”
But in recent years, we’ve seen chinks in his once-impenetrable armor. The 2023 Boston Marathon was the slowest marathon of his career (2:09:23). He rebounded at Berlin later that year, winning in 2:02:42, but this year, he struggled again, finishing 10th at the Tokyo Marathon in March (his worst finishing place at a major) and dropped out A Part of Hearst Digital Media.
Kipchoge, however, is an optimist. He’s a fierce competitor, and he’s embraced his de facto role as an ambassador for running. His life’s mission, he’s said, is to encourage people across the world to take up running—for not only its physical health benefits but its positive affect on the mind.
Runner’s World spoke to Kipchoge, who will turn 40 next month, via Zoom on October 6 about his recovery from injury, reflections on his career, and who he thinks is the future of the sport.
“I’m really fully recovered.”
Kipchoge’s quest for three straight Olympic marathon titles came to an end before the race in Paris had finished. He stayed with the lead pack through the first 9 miles but then slowed, falling out of the top 50 by the halfway mark. Around mile 19, Give A Gift and waited for 42-year-old Mongolian runner Ser-Od Bat-Ochir, who was in last place, to go by him before dropping out. Kipchoge said after the race that he had walked for two kilometers, handing out his shoes, socks, and singlet to spectators along the way.
Kipchoge told Runner’s World that pain in his waist area caused him to stop. But he’s getting back to training now. “I’m really fully recovered,” he said.
In the heat of a typical marathon training block, Kipchoge said he usually logs 200-220 kilometers (124-137 miles) per week, averaging about 18 miles of running per day. Now, however, he’s just focused on getting his feet back under him.
He’s trying to run every day and has been spending time on the stationary bike. He’ll ride easy for an hour, enough to break a sweat and loosen up his muscles, often listening to music or watching TV to pass the time.
“I’m on the road now, looking for the future, and what the future still holds for me,” he said.
He considered running at an American college
Kipchoge has not run a non-marathon race since the 2016 Delhi Half Marathon, where he won in 59:44. But during the first half of his career, he said the marathon wasn’t even on his mind.
At age 17, he ran a then-personal best of 13:13.03 in the 5,000 meters, solidifying himself as one of the most promising athletes in the world. Kipchoge would ultimately turn professional and would win a world championship in the 5,000 in 2003, breaking the under-20 world record earlier in the season. But, Kipchoge said, at one point, he considered coming to the United States for college.
His coach, Patrick Sang, competed at the University of Texas in the 1980s and earned his master’s degree at Iowa State University, so Kipchoge was familiar with the possibility. But in the early 2000s, Kipchoge said, there were few opportunities for Kenyan athletes to come to America for college.
“Those days, 20 years ago, to get a scholarship and go to America or outside Kenya was really minimal,” he said. “I didn’t think that I would get a chance.”
Education, nevertheless, has become an important part of Kipchoge’s pulpit. He started the masters marathon world record to focus on making education more accessible for children and building libraries, as well as conserving the environment.
“I always tell people, education is an equalizer and can take you places,” he said. “[You can] sit at any table in this world if you have education.”
Earlier in October, Kipchoge spoke with a cohort of high school athletes part of the NIL program run by his watch sponsor, Coros, Tim te Brake/NN Running national record holder in the outdoor mile. He encouraged them to seize the chances they will get in life and remain optimistic, even during bumps in the road.
Daniel Mateiko is next up
When asked about an athlete who has great potential, Kipchoge’s mind quickly jumped to one of his training partners, Daniel Mateiko. “[He has] a huge, huge, future ahead of him,” Kipchoge said.
Mateiko, 26, has been one of the top half marathoners in the world since running 58:26 at the Valencia Half Marathon in 2021, and this year, he represented Kenya at the Paris Olympics in the 10,000 meters, where he took 11th place.
But Mateiko hasn’t been able to figure out the marathon quite yet.
At the 2023 London Marathon, he helped pace Kelvin Kiptum to course record of 2:01:25. Later in the year, at the Chicago Marathon, Mateiko made his official debut at the distance. Races - Places, but this time as a competitor, and would ultimately drop out after 35K. At London this year, it was the same story: DNF after 35K.
Still, Kipchoge is bullish on his NN Running teammate’s potential.
“I’m putting all my money in Mateiko as the future,” Kipchoge said. “He’s the man to watch, actually, on the road.”
Looking ahead to 40
Kipchoge is still deciding on his race plans for next year. But he’s made it clear that he wants to continue competing at the highest level. Kipchoge has previously said that he wanted to win all six Theo Kahler is the news editor at before he retires. So far, he’s completed five of the six (he’s never run New York), and won all but Boston and New York.
“Before I finish running competitively, I would love to finish the six,” he said this month.
Kipchoge turns 40 on November 5—“it’s a big thing”—which means he would be classified as a masters athlete. Kenenisa Bekele set the current masters marathon world record of 2:04:19 at the Valencia Marathon in 2023, on a course known as one of the fastest in the world.
Kipchoge wouldn’t say if he’s set his sights on the record, yet, but if he can re-find the form that led to that 2:02 just more than a year ago, he’ll have a chance of adding another record to his extensive resume.
“I believe that a lot of opportunities are still on the table for me to grab,” he said. “I’m going for good things, which can inspire the world more.”
But Mateiko hasnt been able to figure out the marathon quite yet Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner who has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
