Stories
Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s marathon king, didn’t just wake up and find himself running marathons—or breaking records. His path, like most great careers, was anything but straightforward. Full of unexpected turns, setbacks, moments of doubt, and lucky breaks, Kipchoge’s story is a testament to the unpredictable nature of life and how sometimes the road to greatness is not a straight line, but a zigzag of opportunities, hard work, and resilience.
Born in 1984 in Kapsisiywa, a small village in Kenya’s Nandi County, Kipchoge’s early life was one of simplicity. He grew up without his father, raised by his mother, who was a teacher. There wasn’t much wealth, but what Kipchoge had was something far more valuable: the determination to succeed. Like many children in rural Kenya, Kipchoge’s primary mode of transportation to school was running. Though this seemed mundane at the time, it was here that the seed of endurance was planted. The long daily runs to and from school laid the foundation for his future, even though he had no idea running could be a profession.
In his teenage years, he stumbled upon a critical moment of serendipity: meeting Patrick Sang, a silver medalist in the 3,000m steeplechase. Sang wasn’t looking to coach Kipchoge specifically, but fate had other plans. Kipchoge ran in a local race, caught Sang’s eye, and their partnership began—a partnership that would shape Kipchoge’s career, but one that also taught him early on that progress is slow, steady, and anything but direct.
Kipchoge’s first real breakthrough came in 2003 when, at just 18, he won the 5,000m World Championships in Paris. This was no small feat—he outran seasoned competitors, including Kenenisa Bekele and Hicham El Guerrouj, to claim victory. The win gave Kipchoge his first taste of global recognition. But just as soon as he seemed destined for stardom on the track, things took a different turn.
For several years, Kipchoge struggled to recapture the magic of his early success. He competed in track events at the Olympics and World Championships, winning silver and bronze medals, but never quite reaching the top again. By 2012, after failing to qualify for the London Olympics in the 5,000m, Kipchoge found himself at a crossroads. His career seemed to stall. The younger athletes were coming up fast, and for a moment, it seemed like Kipchoge’s best years might be behind him.
Luck, Reflection, and a Change in Course It was at this low point, when doubt was creeping in, that Kipchoge made a bold, life-changing decision: to switch from track events to marathon running. This decision wasn’t born from a burning passion for the marathon—it was more of a calculated risk, an attempt to find new life in a different distance. It was a zigzag, a move away from his earlier career path, but it was a move that would define his future.
Kipchoge entered his first marathon in Hamburg in 2013 and won. But even then, there was no guarantee he would dominate the field for years to come. It took years of refining his technique, building mental resilience, and understanding the complexity of marathon racing before he would become the Kipchoge the world knows today.
Kipchoge’s marathon career, though eventually successful, was not an immediate straight-line success. In 2013, he finished second to Wilson Kipsang at the Berlin Marathon, an experience that stung but taught him the importance of pacing and preparation. Every race brought a new lesson.
He also faced personal challenges: managing the wear and tear on his body, dealing with the pressure of being seen as the future of marathoning, and navigating the politics and business side of professional athletics. In 2015, Kipchoge’s shoes malfunctioned during the Berlin Marathon—his insoles came loose early in the race. He ran with his shoes literally falling apart and still won. That race was a testament to his mental toughness more than anything else.
Despite his dominance in marathon running, Kipchoge experienced significant setbacks. His most publicized “failure” came in the 2020 London Marathon, where he finished eighth—a massive shock given his previous string of victories. The race was a harsh reminder that even the greatest athletes have bad days. Battling both physical pain and tough weather conditions, Kipchoge struggled to finish—a stark contrast to the effortless, composed runner the world had come to admire.
But as always, Kipchoge viewed setbacks not as failures but as stepping stones to greater success. “You learn more from your bad days than from your good days,” he said after the race. He returned to the marathon world stronger than ever, winning the Tokyo Marathon in 2022 and smashing his own world record at the Berlin Marathon later that year.
Throughout his career, Kipchoge has always credited much of his success to the guidance of his coach, Patrick Sang. Their relationship was based on more than just athletic training—it was about building mental resilience, focus, and the ability to navigate the inevitable ups and downs of an elite career. Sang was more than a coach; he was a mentor who showed Kipchoge how to pace not just a race, but life.
Kipchoge’s time at the Global Sports Communication training camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, also played a huge role in shaping his mindset. The camp emphasized discipline, simplicity, and community—traits that Kipchoge still lives by. He trains with the same group of runners, sleeps in the same dormitories, and eats the same food as everyone else, despite his global fame. This environment kept Kipchoge grounded and gave him a strong support system to fall back on during challenging times.
In 2019, Kipchoge achieved one of the most historic feats in sports: running a marathon in under two hours. The INEOS 1:59 Challenge was not an official race, so it didn’t count as a world record, but it was a symbolic victory. Kipchoge had done what was once considered impossible. Yet, even this groundbreaking moment wasn’t the result of just one race. It was the culmination of decades of hard work, failures, pivoting, mentorship, and self-belief.
Kipchoge’s journey illustrates that success doesn’t come in a straight line. His career is marked by moments of doubt, failure, and unexpected opportunities. He embraced the zigzag nature of life, knowing that every setback was a chance to grow. From a rural boy running to school to the first man to break the two-hour marathon barrier, Kipchoge’s life is proof that “no human is limited” as long as they remain resilient, open to change, and willing to take risks.
Eliud Kipchoge’s career is not a tale of steady, uninterrupted success. It’s a story of zigzags—of highs and lows, of changing paths when the current one seemed to reach a dead end, of failing and getting back up, and of the serendipity of meeting the right people at the right time.
For anyone looking to find their path, Kipchoge’s story serves as a powerful reminder: careers aren’t linear. The road is full of detours, failures, moments of luck, and hard-earned success. It’s in navigating these twists and turns with determination, mentorship, and resilience that greatness is ultimately found.