Following the achievements and struggles of your favorite athletes can teach you valuable lessons in life. Whether you need the motivation to achieve your fitness goals or the right words to help you make the right decision that can change the trajectory of your life, the greatest athletes in the world and their view of sports and life can definitely offer a helping hand.
Let’s learn a thing or two about life and sports from Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s greatest marathoner.
Who Is Eliud Kipchoge?
Eliud Kipchoge is a long-distance runner from Kenya. He’s one of the most decorated runners in the world and regarded as one of the greatest sportsmen in history, having won the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon championships and cementing the world record in the marathon with a time of 2:01:39 at the 2018 Berlin Marathon. He beat the previous world record by only 1 minute and 18 seconds.
Other notable achievements:
- 2013 Hamburg Marathon – First
- 2014 Rotterdam Marathon – First
- 2014 Chicago Marathon – First
- 2015 London Marathon – First
- 2015 Berlin Marathon – First
- 2019 London Marathon – First
- NN Mission Marathon – First
- 2021 Tokyo Marathon – First
Eliud Kipchoge’s Training Routine
Eliud Kipchoge’s success and consistency were a product of his rigorous training. But how rigorous this training really is, and can a regular athlete achieve it?
According to Patrick Sang, Eliud Kipchoge’s coach, in a documentary released by INEOS, his training contains a significant amount of strength and core work. Here’s a sample week of training in Eliud Kipchoge’s routine:
Monday (Warm-Up)
- Easy to moderate run of about 16km to 21km
- Easy Run of about 8km to 12km
Tuesday (Track Session)
- 15km of marathon pace work.
- 15km intervals following their goal marathon pace
Wednesday (Easy Run)
- Easy to moderate run of about 16km to 21km
- Easy Run of about 8km to 12km
Thursday (Multisport Workout)
- A long steady tempo run of 30km or 40km tempo run
- Cycling between 30km (18.6mi) and 40km (24.8 mi)
- A second long steady tempo run of 30km or 40km tempo run
Friday (Easy to Moderate Run)
- Easy to Moderate Run of about 16km to 21km
- Easy Run of about 8km to 12km
Saturday (Speed Workout)
- Fartlek (on trails/road)
7 Fartlek workouts used by Eliud Kipchoge:
- 10min reps with 2-minute rest. 4 x 10min
- 8mins reps with 2-minute rest. 6 x 8 min
- 6min reps with 2-minute rest. 8 x 6 min
- 4min reps with 2-minute rest. 10 x 4 min
- 3min reps with 1-minute rest. 13 x 3min
- 2min reps with 1-minute rest. 17 x 2min
- 1 min reps with 1-minute rest. 25 x 1 min
- Easy run of around 8km to 12km or rest
Sunday (Easy Workout or Rest)
- Easy to Moderate Run of about 18km to 22km
- Rest
Eliud Kipchoge’s Routine
“I wake up at 5am; by 6am I’m on the way to training. I come back and relax, have lunch, take a little nap, then train again at 4pm for an evening run. Then relax, dinner and bed at 9pm until the next day,” said Kipchoge in an interview.
Following his sample training plan, Eliud Kipchoge trains and rests every day before and post-marathon to condition his body and mind. He keeps a low-profile life outside training and competitions.
Eliud Kipchoge’s Nutrition Plan
Eliud Kipchoge eats like a champion, as he should. Part of training like a champion is getting the right amount and quality of nutrition, and Eliud Kipchoge and Patrick Sang make sure of that.
Eliud Kipchoge’s diet plan is high in carbohydrates and low in fat. It is, according to him, a simple diet—which mostly consists of potatoes, porridge, beans, rice, Ugali, and Chapati. The latter are local dishes in Kenya and India.
Ugali is a stiff maize flour porridge that originated in Africa. Ugali is a comfort food in Kenya. The food is generally enjoyed with side dishes, like vegetable or meat stew. Since Ugali is corn-based, it offers multiple benefits aside from offering the right amount of carbohydrates to Kipchoge.
“Corn is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, pantothenic acid (B5) and manganese, while relatively low in calories at 125 per cup of sweet-corn-at least until you start slathering it with butter. One cup also contains almost 5 grams of protein-more than a com-parable serving of broccoli, for example. Corn also beats that famously healthy vegetable in magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, while broccoli contains more vitamins A, C, and K.” said an article published by Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in the United States.
Chapati, meanwhile, is a whole-wheat bread that originated in India. It is usually served fried and with vegetables, stew, or rice—sometimes a combination of all three. Whole-wheat bread like Chapati is rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Eliud Kipchoge On Motivation
“I struggle with motivation, but I try all the time to get inspired by fans’ messages around the world. I have been inspiring people around the world and [the thought of this] is what sometimes gives me the energy to jump out of bed and do the necessary.”
Eliud Kipchoge, like other athletes in the world, had his fair share of successes and failures. Being one of the best and most decorated runners in the world doesn’t mean that he has consistent motivation. After all, there is pain in training and failure. As such, Kipchoge aims to motivate himself and inspire his fans by always doing the necessary and concentrating on what’s ahead of him.
“[When I am running] Many things are always crossing my mind from West to North, East to South, but I try to block them and concentrate fully on the road, concentrating fully on the task ahead and finishing the race.”
Eliud Kipchoge On Popular Media
Eliud Kipchoge was recently featured in Kipchoge: The Last Milestone, a 2021 sports biopic documentary about himself from director Jake Scott and executive producer Ridley Scott. The documentary tells a visual portrait of Kipchoge as he prepares to break one of the biggest records in the history of sports: the sub-two hour marathon. It follows his journey from his training in Kenya and Europe and his feat at Vienna.