Eliud Kipchoge Unveils New Mission Targeting 3 Billion People [VIDEO]

Marathon World Record holder Eliud Kipchoge revealed details of a new personal mission in an interview with media personality Eddy Kimani, shared on Saturday, May 23.

Kipchoge etched his name in the history books in 2019, after becoming the first man to run the 42km marathon distance in under two hours in Vienna, Austria for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

In the interview, Kipchoge delved into the mental effort it took to achieve the feat, having previously fallen short, albeit by a few seconds, in his first attempt to run under the two-hour mark in Monza, Italy in 2017.

He then revealed that after cracking the challenge, he had taken on a new mission targeting 3 billion people around the world, stating that he was determined to achieve it before retiring from athletics.

London Marathon champion Eluid Kipchoge (left) interacts with Tottenham Hotspur players during a visit to the football club on April 18, 2018.
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The athlete explained that, as a long-time proponent of running, he wanted to push the idea of running as a lifestyle and have people adopt it.

He went on to note that this was possible as what drove him every day was the overwhelming feedback he receives from people all over the world inspired by his performances.

"I am truly being motivated by what people are consuming from my results. When I check all my social media especially Instagram and Twitter, I can see people from around all the seven continents are really following me, and everybody is getting inspired.

"That is what is touching me, and that is what I can call the ignition key in the morning, whereby it makes me wake up and go to the door. And I want to inspire them all.

"My target is to make running a lifestyle event, a family event every morning. That when you wake up in the morning, you need to run and come back, and go to work. 

"I trust that before I call off the sport, I could have touched more than 3 billion people. Then I can say I have touched the whole world because the number could be more than three billion," he explained.

Mental Health

Questioned on his own mental health, Kipchoge noted that he had never been so overwhelmed by his thoughts that he needed a specialist, attributing it to his simple lifestyle.

He, however, opened up on the worries he dealt with particularly after being approached by Nike to take on Monza, the first-ever attempt to run a marathon in under two hours in 2017.

Kipchoge revealed that he was scared of disappointing everyone after Nike put enormous resources behind the attempt, with a staff of hundreds dedicated to the project.

"I was like a boxer going to the ring not knowing the ring. Because as a boxer you can be technically knocked out, taken to the hospital and you wake up tomorrow not knowing where you are.

"I tried my best to concentrate. My mind was worried about what Nike was doing. Remember the finances, the energy. About 500 people had been put on only one person to perform and run under two hours.

"Unfortunately I didn't make to run under two hours. I ran two hours plus, but it was still a big, big success because it showed the world that a human being can even run under two hours," he recounted.

Watch the interview below: