{"id":2725,"date":"2015-09-28T07:48:29","date_gmt":"2015-09-28T13:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/?p=2725"},"modified":"2015-09-28T07:48:29","modified_gmt":"2015-09-28T13:48:29","slug":"eliud-kipchoge-looks-to-rio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.com\/marathon\/kenya\/eliud-kipchoge-looks-to-rio\/","title":{"rendered":"Eliud Kipchoge looks to Rio"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Eliud<\/a><\/p>\n

Eliud Kipchoge considers mental sharpness is the crucial factor as the Berlin champion turns his attention to Olympic Marathon in Rio<\/p>\n

Eliud Kipchoge World Number One<\/h3>\n

Given his status as the current unofficial world number one in the men\u2019s marathon, following Sunday\u2019s win in the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON to complete a triumphant year at the distance which began with an equally commanding victory in London in April, Eliud Kipchoge\u2019s approach to peak performance provides a lesson to any runner, whether elite or those among the 41,000 and more who followed him through the Brandenburg Gate to the finish line.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his career so far a few hours after victory in Berlin, Kipchoge emphasized that he and his longterm coach Patrick Sang, the Olympic silver medallist in the steeplechase in 1992, regard maintaining mental freshness as even more important than physical conditioning. Kipchoge is, of course, in superb shape and has demonstrated his ability for more than a decade, winning the World 5,000m title against Kenenisa Bekele in Paris in 2003 and following that with a silver medal at the same distance four years later and an Olympic silver in Beijing in 2008. But their philosophy offers a wider framework than a mantra of \u201cTrain Hard, Win Easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Berlin, I need to prepare for Rio and plan but that is eleven months away so I would want to do another marathon, probably next spring. Eleven months without a marathon is too long, you need to test the body and that will tell the mind and body that another marathon, [the Olympic Marathon] is coming,\u201d explained Kipchoge.
\nSimple enough in one sense and, given his status, any major race promoter is likely to be checking their budget in a bid for his services. But this additional comment reveals the subtlety of approach by athlete and coach: \u201cThe main thing is the mind, not the body. If you train for eleven months, the mind might get tired so it\u2019s better for the body to get tired than the mind. So I\u2019ll do another marathon before the Olympics,\u201d said Kipchoge.<\/p>\n

The byzantine world of championship selection can follow all manner of twists and turns, so Eliud Kipchoge is by no means taking an Olympic marathon place in the Kenyan team for granted. Where he and coach Patrick Sang are confident is in the development of their training programme, begun 12 years ago, which has taken him from one of the best on the track to as strong as anyone in the marathon at present:
\n\u201cI\u2019ve been with my coach all my life as an athlete. In fact, we were neighbours, Patrick lived about one or two kilometres from me in the same village of Kapsisiywa [Nandi district]. When I was eight or nine, I\u2019d see him training and began to notice him. Our plan was to run very well on the track, then we decided to turn to the road. The transition so far has been good and I can say our plans are up to date,\u201d explained Kipchoge with a touch of understatement.<\/p>\n

He now lives in Eldoret and the training base is in Kaptagat, some 30 km away. Whatever he may or may not achieve at the Olympics next year, Eliud Kipchoge has unfinished business in the German capital, promising to return to the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON in 2017 with the aim of improving his time of 2:04:00, although without flapping insoles to add to the challenge.<\/p>\n

The ability to shut out distractions, set realistic short and long term goals and yet relax when required, can mark the potential champion among the pack. It was once commented in connection with Sebastian Coe that the most important part of an elite athlete\u2019s equipment, given the requisite physical talent, was \u201cThe Top Nine Inches,\u201d ie, the power of the mind. Eliud Kipchoge has that in abundance.<\/p>\n

Article By Andy Edwards<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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