Eliud Kipchoge: What milestones are left for marathon king?

While Kipchoge’s sporting legacy may already have been secured, no matter what he does in the future, there is another area where he wants to create a lasting impression.

“I would like to leave a legacy whereby people will remember me when they see my face,” he said. “My name is about the themes of fitness, conservation and education.”

In September, he established the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation to focus on those very three things – ‘which are really important to me’.

“There is research that says you should not train where there is polluted air or dirty air, and only train where we have clean air,” he explained.

“We are trying to tell people to get out of the door and run for fitness and health. My foundation is building libraries and at the back of our minds, you need libraries in every local kindergarten, primary and secondary school.”

As well as his conservation work, he wants more people to take up his sport.

“Running means life to me – without running, there’s no life,” he said. “A running career has got me places; running has put food on the table for my children and my siblings.”

“Running has actually enabled me to inspire more people and tell people that no human is limited.”

His own drive, he says, comes from not just his own love of sport but also the desire ‘to totally inspire more people, kids and youth every day’.

So when the running man finally hangs up his spikes, do not expect him to rest on his laurels – but to start a new marathon, this time to preach the message of building a better planet in the future.

“If I didn’t have a lot of work to do, I would like to go around the world to inspire youth, to inspire kids to love running,” he said.

“I would go on tour to do more regarding conservation and talk of sport and of education. I will tackle the match.”

If he does it as well as he runs 26.2 miles, the world might just become a better place.

Interview with Eliud Kipchoge by Michelle Katami.