Love of the sport

Following his Olympic setback, Kipchoge opted to take a break and rest, a much-needed pause after a remarkable career marked by dominance and resilience. "There are things you can't prevent, what has happened has happened. One way (to deal with things) is to convince my mind to move on and try to fulfill what has been on my bucket list," he said.

With a running career spanning over two decades, Kipchoge attributes his enduring drive to a profound love for the sport. "The inspiration that I am still into, the general humanity in this world, is what motivates me to wake up early every morning and go for a run," he said.

Among his many milestones, Kipchoge views his sub-two-hour marathon as his most significant achievement. "I aim to shift the mindset of the running community, to show it that we are not limited — neither in our minds, nor in our pain, nor physically," he reflects.

For Kipchoge, the greatest reward in marathon running is not the competition or the records, but the fulfillment that comes from completing the race. "It's not just about running to win or breaking records. It's about the satisfaction you feel after finishing a marathon — knowing that you can run anything, that you can accomplish anything in this world."