Eliud Kipchoge’s Greatest Competition at the Berlin Marathon? Himself.

This article originally appeared on Outside

In April, marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge did something unusual: He apologized for losing. On a cold and rainy Monday at the Boston Marathon, the two-time Olympic champion from Kenya faded from the front pack after leading for 19 miles of the race. He finished sixth overall in 2:09:23, three minutes behind winner Evans Chebet of Kenya.

The next day, Kipchoge sat behind a blue table dressed in an orange jacket and gripping a microphone as he faced a frenzy of questions from the media about his uncharacteristic performance. His left leg gave him problems during the race, Kipchoge said during a post-marathon press conference. Despite that, no, he didn't think about quitting, adding, "they say it's important to win, but it's great to participate and finish."

Kipchoge's performance and words were a mark of resilience at the world's oldest annual marathon, and one of the most prestigious road races across the globe. Now, five months after his highly-publicized Boston debut, he is ready for another run this Sunday, September 24, when he toes the starting line for the 49th edition of the Berlin Marathon at 9:15 A.M. CET (3:15 E.T.).

"I Fell Down, But I Got Back Up."

"This is the higher branch now," Kipchoge said on Thursday morning at the Intercontinental Hotel, the elite athlete hub for the marathon. "I grabbed this one, and I'll wait for the next one."

The analogy is one he often references about moving forward. "If you want to be successful, then you learn from failure. I failed in Boston. I fell down, but I got back up."

Kipchoge arrived in the German capital on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, greeted at the airport with a bouquet of sunflowers from Claus-Henning Schulke, the man who has served as Kipchoge's race day bottle handler since 2017. Though a light blue face mask covered Kipchoge's signature pearly wide smile as he wheeled a carry-on suitcase, his eyes glowed as he hugged Schulke and received the flowers, an annual tradition here in Berlin and symbolic of good fortune.

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"It's like home," Kipchoge said as he sat calmly sipping tea, smiling as he reflected on his previous Berlin Marathon experiences. He has visited Berlin several times in the past, and the city holds special significance. It's where he achieved two marathon world records, lastly in 2022, when he ran 2:01:09, lowering his former world mark from 2018 by 30 seconds.

Kipchoge’s Outstanding Track and Marathon Career

After a standout track career as a 5,000-meter specialist, Kipchoge found his calling in 26.2 miles in 2013, when he debuted in Hamburg, Germany. He won and set a course record of 2:05:30 in the process. Five months later, Kipchoge ran his first Berlin Marathon, finishing second to fellow countryman Wilson Kipsang, who won in world-record time. Kipchoge would go on to win 15 marathons, including four London Marathon titles and back-to-back victories in 2016 and 2022 at the Olympic Games. (Two of the marathons--the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in 2019 and the Nike-sponsored Breaking2 project in 2017--were not an open competition, and therefore his times of 2:00:25 and 1:59:40 are not officially recognized by World Athletics.)

Berlin Marathon 2023: The Calm Before the Storm

Three days out from the start of the marathon, life is business as usual for the defending champion--who has earned four Berlin Marathon titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022. Kipchoge woke up at 6:10 A.M. for a jog in Tiergarten, Berlin's largest and most popular urban park. Then, he sipped tea followed by a massage before several interviews from local and international press.

He is as calm as ever, not minding the fact that he will face off against a field that includes Kenyan Amos Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, and the second-fastest entrant at this year's Berlin race. Kipruto finished second to Kipchoge at the Tokyo Marathon in 2022. Kipchoge's personal best is two minutes faster than Kipruto's 2:03:13 finish.

In his sixth Berlin Marathon appearance, the 38-year-old Kipchoge is aiming for an unprecedented fifth title. He is currently tied atop the list of most Berlin Marathon victories (four) with retired Ethiopian champion Haile Gebrselassie, who also twice lowered the marathon world record in Berlin.

"I want to win the race," Kipchoge flatly declared. But Berlin is also a strategic step as he eyes one of three men's spots on Kenya's team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. "Berlin is good preparation for next year's Olympics in Paris," he added.

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Berlin is part of the World Marathon Majors circuit--the six largest and most competitive international marathons that include Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago, and New York City. A race that attracts world-class competition annually, the flat asphalt course with wide sweeping turns (and the race's hired pacemakers, brought to assist the elites to run a fast time) has monopolized record-breaking activity since 1998; nine men's world records, including two from Kipchoge, have been achieved at the Berlin Marathon, the most of any World Marathon Majors race.

"The streets love my muscles," Kipchoge says, laughing. "The crowds are wonderful, too."

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Compared to his 2022 season, not much of his routine has changed. Kipchoge, who trains under coach Patrick Sang at Global Sports Communication Training Camp in Kaptagat, Kenya, routinely tallies 136 miles a week, often running twice a day at 8,200 feet above sea level in the Rift Valley of Kenya. He couples high mileage with twice-weekly hour-long cycling on an indoor trainer along with 10-minute ice baths two days a week after speed work. And he sleeps at least nine hours a day to recover from it all. The intense routine has kept Kipchoge at the top of his form for 20 marathons to date. Berlin will be his 21st marathon.

"I've never missed a training," Kipchoge says. "I can say I'm ready."

Yet, as ready as he feels, even the marathon king gets nervous. "Nervousness shows that I am ready to race," he says. "Nervousness shows that the mind and the whole body are ready to conquer the streets. The moment you are not nervous shows that something is actually not good."

While he doesn't let on about a specific time, one thing is clear, Kipchoge's objective is to have a "good" race.

"Running a good time and enjoying the race and inspiring all of my fans," he says, grinning. "That's what I call good."

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