2023-04-19 08:20:50
It was not the post-race press conference that I expected Eliud Kipchoge Nor nobody. Instead of facing reporters like the previous day’s Boston Marathon winner, the world record holder and two-time Olympic champion in the 26-mile dash stood there following finishing 6th. The Kenyan ran in 2h09:23, almost three and a half minutes behind the winner, Evans Chebet, and it took him 24 hours to make the first statements and answer questions beyond a brief statement full of topics.
That statement read: “Today was a difficult day for me. I tried as hard as I might, but sometimes we have to accept that today was the day to go further.” On Tuesday morning in Boston, Kipchoge, 38, answered questions in a philosophical to energetic tone for 10 minutes.
The marathon legend said that he suffered a problem in his left leg almost at kilometer 29 that prevented him from holding out in the group when the first attack from Tanzanian Gabriel Geay came two kilometers later. Kipchoge did not specify the nature of the problem, stating only that it was in his upper leg, without specifying whether it was his hamstring, quadriceps or another part of him. “I’m not a doctor,” he settled.
When the problem arose, he proposed to “run at a comfortable pace to finish” (a comfortable pace for him is 3:30 minutes per kilometer, no less). When asked if he thought of retiring at some point, he explained that he was talking much in his head.”I said ‘hey, I can’t quit’. It’s important to win, but it’s great to participate and finish“.
Unlike Berlin or London, races that Kipchoge has won four times each, Boston has no hares, like the two Olympic marathons he has won. The Kenyan did not question his tactics, leading the race from the start with a very fast partial (14:17 the first 5K) with the circuit going down. “It’s common sense. This is sport, and you have to push.”
Kipchoge also did not want to excuse himself on the tough Boston circuit, with its hills, ups and downs. “The course is not challenging. My training is really all-inclusive, and it can accommodate hills or flat terrain.” And he also did not consider the rainy weather to be a decisive factor in his defeat, as it was in the fall of 2020 in London.
Kipchoge se tensa
The Kenyan tensed when asked why he did not explain himself following the race. “You are lying. Ask the right question. I did not refuse to speak through the media,” he accused the reporter.
Kipchoge assured that he did not know when he would race once more and that he would sit down with his team to see what offers were on the table.. The New York Marathon remains the only one of the Big Six that he hasn’t run yet. And when asked if he would return to the world’s oldest commercial marathon, he promised “absolutely yes, and win in Boston.”
The Kenyan shared the philosophy for which he has become famous, winning 17 of the 20 marathons he has run (15 of 18, if we exclude the two unchallenged attempts to go under 2h). “Resilience is one of the recipes for success. If you’re not resilient, you can’t go anywhere.”
What lesson does Kipchoge take from yesterday’s race.” “What does not kill you makes you stronger“, he said, quoting one of his favorite singers, Kelly Clarkson.
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