• four-time London Marathon winner—and pos

    From Runners World@24:150/1 to All on Wed Sep 30 21:31:16 2020
    four-time London Marathon winner—and possibly his world record.
    By Cathal Dennehy
    Sep 30, 2020

    eliud kipchoge
    Courtesy Virgin Money London Marathon

    Can anyone stop Eliud Kipchoge? For 10 straight marathons, and six
    straight years, the answer has been a firm “no.”

    The Olympic champion and world record holder has stamped his
    supremacy on the 26.2-mile distance like no one before. In an event
    filled with uncertainty, where the only thing harder than getting to
    the top is staying there, he has become the safest bet in sports.

    But at the 40th edition of the London Marathon this Sunday, Kipchoge,
    35, will square off with an athlete who could give him cause for
    concern.
    Related Stories
    Why You Should Watch the 2020 London Marathon
    One Man’s Dream Comes True, the World Celebrates

    Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia is a man who once dominated Kipchoge on the
    track and an athlete with the credentials to also ruffle his feathers
    on the road. A three-time Olympic gold medalist, the 38-year-old has
    been written off many times, yet he has a habit of mounting a comeback
    when you least expect it.

    That’s exactly what he did in Berlin last year, with his 2:01:41
    falling just two seconds short of Kipchoge’s world record. Two weeks
    later, Kipchoge shot back with his 1:59:40 in Vienna at the INEOS
    1:59 Challenge, which didn’t count for record purposes. But the message
    was clear: In this domain, he was still the boss.

    Kipchoge hasn’t raced since then, but he has had a strong preparation
    and arrives to the London Marathon’s race bubble in flying form. For
    much of his buildup, however, he was unable to train with his usual
    large group in Kaptagat.

    “It was really difficult for us athletes in Kenya and Africa in
    general,” Kipchoge said during Wednesday’s prerace news conference.
    “For the last 17 years I’ve been with the whole team, training with 10
    to 20 people. This (pandemic) came in like an electric shock where
    everyone started to train in isolation or even skip training. But I
    tried to hold pace to make sure I’m fit and get a high level of
    training. Lately I consolidated the whole team together and training,
    actually, was good.”

    Stay up to date on the latest news from the London Marathon with
    RW+ 🇬🇧

    Bekele, meanwhile, had difficulty accessing his usual training
    locations because of the restrictions in Ethiopia, and he also lost
    time due to small training pains. “Because of COVID-19 sometimes
    it’s not going as perfect as I planned,” Bekele said today. “More or
    less, I prepared well.”
    kenenisa bekele
    Kenenisa Bekele trains within the grounds of the biosecure bubble.
    Courtesy Virgin Money London Marathon

    Asked about the rapid development in shoe technology in recent years,
    Kipchoge struck a familiar tone: “We live in the 21st century whereby
    we need to accept change,” he said. “Development goes hand in hand with
    technology. We need to accept technology in our hearts and move on.”

    Bekele will race in the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% on Sunday, which
    he wore in Berlin last year, while Kipchoge will opt for the Nike
    Air Zoom Alphafly Next%, which he introduced to the world in Vienna
    last fall.
    This content is imported from {embed-name}. You may be able to find the
    same content in another format, or you may be able to find more
    information, at their web site.

    The two athletes have been rivals since 2003, when Kipchoge outkicked
    Bekele to win the world 5,000-meter title in Paris, and in that time
    the mutual respect between them has only grown.

    “I respect the humanity, the success, the mentality of Kenenisa,”
    Kipchoge said. “Being able to train and be disciplined even after huge,
    huge success.”

    Bekele was equally gracious. “I respect him as an athlete,” he said.
    “What he did is a really great thing for the sport.”

    “This (pandemic) came in like an electric shock where everyone
    started to train in isolation or even skip training.”

    Kipchoge has a flawless record in London—four runs, four wins
    (including the course record of 2:02:37 set in 2019)—but this year’s
    race will take place in a far less familiar format. Instead of the
    usual 26.2-mile course that snakes through the city, athletes will run
    19.6 laps of a 2.15-kilometer loop around St. James’s Park before
    reaching the usual finish on The Mall.
    Related Story
    Everything to Know About the London Marathon

    The effort by organizers in getting it over the line has been immense.
    They chartered a plane last week to transport athletes from Kenya and
    Ethiopia, while every athlete and member of support staff was tested
    for COVID-19 before traveling to London, upon arrival at the meet
    hotel, and they will have their final batch of tests on Friday, 48
    hours before the race.

    Degitu Azimerew, a 2:19 marathoner who was a leading entrant in the
    women’s race and coach Haji Adilo tested positive in Ethiopia, so they
    did not travel to London. Runners have been based in a biosecure bubble
    at a hotel outside the city with 40 acres of ground on which to train,
    while they’ve also been wearing a “bump technology” device around their
    necks that records time spent in close proximity to others.

    While both Kipchoge and Bekele were tight-lipped around their desired
    pace on Sunday, it’s expected a first half of 61 minutes or faster will
    be requested. The course is flat and fast, so Kipchoge’s 2:01:39
    world record is not out of the question.

    Organizers are hoping the forecasted rain won’t arrive when the races
    get under way on Sunday morning, with the women setting off at 7:15
    a.m. local time (2:15 a.m. EDT) and the men at 10:15 a.m. (5:15 a.m.
    EDT).

    While Bekele admitted he would much rather a point-to-point course,
    saying “it gets boring repeating the same lap multiple times,” Kipchoge
    was unconcerned with the layout.

    “The laps will be okay, there will be no problem,” he said. “I think
    the race will be really beautiful.”

    Victory this year would make Kipchoge the oldest ever winner of the
    men’s race in London. Still he shows no signs of slowing down, and if
    there’s one thing that fuels him it’s the inspiration his feats give to
    the masses.

    “I have shown the way that running under 2 hours is possible,” he said
    today. “I’ve done my part to show that anything is possible.”

    While fans are savoring a clash between two distance-running titans,
    it’s unwise to discount their chief rivals. Ethiopia’s Mosinet Geremew
    finished second in 2:02:55 last year, just 18 seconds behind Kipchoge,
    while Mule Wasihun—third last year in 2:03:16—is also back. Fellow
    Ethiopian Shura Kitata finished second in London and New York in 2018
    and is sure to go close again, while Sisay Lemma, third in Berlin last
    year in 2:03:36, is another to watch.

    The lone American in the men’s field is Jared Ward, 32, whose PR is
    2:09:25 from the 2019 Boston Marathon. Ward was an Olympian in 2016,
    finishing sixth at the Games in Rio. He told Runner’s World he is
    excited.

    “I’m optimistic, he said. “I’ve never had a seven-week training cycle
    for a marathon. But I’ve had some good workouts. And I had some good
    speed training prior to starting the cycle. My volume has been low, and
    I don’t have quite as many quality long runs as I’m used to, so I have
    my apprehensions. But I’m also optimistic based on how I feel.”

    It’s no surprise that this year’s prize money has taken a hit, with the
    winner earning $30,000 compared to $55,000 last year. But in a year
    blighted by cancellations, race director Hugh Brasher believes the
    event will be a “beacon of light in the darkness” that will “show the
    power of the family of making coming together.”

    While the action in the biosphere will be elite-only, 45,000 runners
    have signed up to run the virtual London Marathon, with 150,000 school
    children expected to race a mini-marathon of 2.6 miles at various
    locations over the coming week.

    As Brasher put it: “The 40th race is very different, but it’s going to
    be remembered forever.”
    Cathal Dennehy Contributing Writer Cathal Dennehy is a freelance
    writer based in Dublin, Ireland, who covers the sport for multiple
    outlets from Irish newspapers to international track websites.
    This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported
    onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be
    able to find more information about this and similar content at
    piano.io
    --- up 5 weeks, 2 days, 6 hours, 50 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (24:150/1)