8 fun facts about Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest Marathoner ever ahead of his quest to become the first human to run a full marathon in under 2 hours

8 fun facts about Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest Marathoner ever ahead of his quest to become the first human to run a full marathon in under 2 hours

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• The Olympic marathon champion is in Vienna to attempt to become the first man to run the 42-kilometre distance in under two hours this weekend.
• The challenge, dubbed “INEOS 1:59 Challeng’ and which has drawn global interest, is bankrolled by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
• On Wednesday, Kenya’s telecommunication firm, Safaricom, announced that its famous M-Pesa logo will change for the first time in 12 years in honour of Eliud Kipchoge.

               
           
               
                   

The greatest Marathoner ever, Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge, is about to take another stab at history.

               
           
               
                   

The Olympic marathon champion is in Vienna to attempt to become the first man to run the 42-kilometre distance in under two hours this weekend.

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Eliud Kipchoge.

               

               
           
               
                   

Kipchoge, 34, is in a class of his own in global distance running, and sports critics believe he is the man to user human beings into a new era of what’s possible. 

               
           
               
                   

“I’m hoping for the best. I will try my best to get 1:59,” he said before boarding the plane that took off shortly after 8pm to Vienna, Austria.

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Eliud Kipchoge departing for Vienna

               

               
           
               
                   

The challenge, dubbed “INEOS 1:59 Challeng’ and which has drawn global interest, is bankrolled by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who runs chemical firm INEOS.

               
           
               
                   

On Wednesday, Kenya’s telecommunication firm, Safaricom, announced that its famous M-Pesa logo will change for the first time in 12 years in honour of Eliud Kipchoge.

               
           
               
                   

Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Michael Joseph said the logo "Eliud 1:59" will run for the next seven days to support Kipchoge in his challenge to become the first ever athlete to run a full marathon in under two hours.

               
           
               
                   

                                   

M-Pesa unveils new logo in support of Eliud Kipchoge's attempt at INEOS159

               

               
           
               
                   

Considering that, here are a few fun facts about Eliud Kipchonge, the greatest Marathoner ever.

               
           
               
                   

He is unbeatable

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Eliud Kipchoge, Brigid Kosgei win London Marathon as Kenyan athletes reign supreme

               

               
           
               
                   

The youngest of four children who grew up in Kapsisiywa, a small village in Nandi County has won nine of the 10 marathons he has entered.

               
           
               
                   

He has a winning formula

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Eliud Kipchoge wins International Achievement award

               

               
           
               
                   

He once wrote down a formula: Motivation + Discipline = Consistency

               
           
               
                   

His diet

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Eliud Kipchoge trainning for the INEOS 1:59

               

               
           
               
                   

In his short film, Eliud, his breakfast with his teammates is tea and bread. The runner says, “It’s breakfast for Africans. We only have tea and bread. That’s enough.”

               
           
               
                   

Personal best

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Eliud Kipchoge wins International Achievement award

               

               
           
               
                   

His personal best is 2 hours 1 minutes 39 seconds, which he ran at the 

               
           
               
                   

Berlin Marathon in the "Breaking 2" project sponsored by Nike and documented so well by National Geographic in 2017.

               
           
               
                   

In another life he would have been an accountant

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Kenyan Olympic gold medallist marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge (C) is one of three top runners selected by Nike to make the marathon record attempt later this year

               

               
           
               
                   

Kipchoge is meticulous in his work. Since he began to take the sport seriously, he has recorded every workout in a notebook. He currently has 15 notebooks now, one for every year he has spent on the world stage. 

               
           
               
                   

He is philosophical

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Eliud Kipchoge. World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has been named United Nations (UN) Person of the Year by the UN office in Nairobi.

               

               
           
               
                   

Kipchoge is the type of person who starts his sentences with words like ‘A wise man once said…’” 

               
           
               
                   

The crevices on his cheeks also give him the appearance of someone older, lending him an air of hard-earned wisdom. 

               
           
               
                   

He 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.” And: “The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today.”

               
           
               
                   

He is 5-feet-6 and weighs 57 kg

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Olympian Eliud Kipchoge

               

               
           
               
                   

He is an avid reader

               
           
               
                   

                                   

Eliud Kipchoge crosses the finish-line at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate

               

               
           
               
                   

Kipchoge loves reading and his literary tastes range from Aristotle to sports biographies to self-help manuals. 

               
           
               
                   

“The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” by Stephen R. Covey, is one of his favourites.

               
           
               
                   

Whenever he reads — often in the library at his team’s training camp — he keeps a notebook handy so that he can take notes.

               
           
               
                   

“When you write, then you remember,” Kipchoge said.

Source: 8 fun facts about Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest Marathoner ever ahead of his quest to become the first human to run a full marathon in under 2 hours

- gist culled from pulseng