With the mention of Eliud Kipchoge’s name, the whole of Marathon world stands to tremble. Kipchoge is no doubt the most powerful, tactical and adored marathoner of all times. But what makes him the most loved and unique athlete from his colleagues?
Kipchoge is wealthy. Yes Extremely wealthy. Despite this, he never flaunt of his hard-earned riches by driving fuel-guzzling SUVs or treating his family to helicopter rides to beat the Nairobi traffic. He can afford to, but he would rather lead a simple life.
This simple kind of life has earned Kipchoge a lot of respect from Kenyans and across the borders. Unlike his rich fellow athletes who likes showing off in public, Kipchoge decided to keep a low profile and mostly likes spending his time at Kaptagat camp training with little-known upcoming athletes from the region.
At Kaptagat camp, Kipchoge like any other struggling athlete lives on simple rented structures. In fact, he lives like a monk in a Kaptagat monastery. He
shares chores with teammates without minding his status. Kipchoge is a wealthy man, but he still scrubs the toilet!
He is the G.O.A.T., the great athlete of all time! We should all be grateful to have seen him in our lifetime, because he’s a tough act to follow, and the world will take several generations to nurture one of similar character.
Kipchoge is also a philosopher, and gets his kick out of meeting people and reading books. He reads Lots of books. His tastes ranges from motivational, to business and inspirational books. Currently, he’s reading The Chimp Paradox a book by Professor Steve Peters.
Additionally, what makes Kipchoge the most decorated marathoner of all the time is his immense self-discipline. He keenly observes his diet and rarely takes alcohol at all.
Kipchoge is the type of person who says stuff like: “Only the disciplined ones in life are free. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods and your passions. And: It’s not about the legs, it’s about the heart and the mind! The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today.”
He once wrote down a formula:
Motivation + Discipline = Consistency
No marathoner in the modern era has been more dominant. Even the greatest distance runners had days when a strained muscle or an upset stomach kept them from winning. Not Kipchoge. And recently, murmurs have grown into a chorus, led by people like David Bedford, a former world-record holder for 10,000 meters and an organizer for the London Marathon. Bedford thinks that Kipchoge could be the greatest distance runner ever.
Kipchoge also has a habit of smiling whenever pain sets it. Pain, he said, is nothing more than a mind-set. So he distracts himself with other thoughts, the joy of running and the finish line ahead.With this in mind, pain easily fades. In the process, Kipchoge has proved himself singularly capable of elevating the sport into something that more closely resembles performance art.
With this, Kipchoge remains the most loved and emulated athlete of all the time whose humanity continues to touch many in the world.
