Eliud Kipchoge is the zen master of the Marathon.
In the fall of 2014, Eliud KIpchoge won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. I remember asking him why he was smiling over the last four to five kilometers of the race. Eliud was winning his first World Marathon Majors, that was the reason.
In April 2015, Eliud Kipchoge and Wilson Kipsang battled for 24 miles before Eliud Kipchoge took the race over and won the London marathon in an epic race. In Berlin, despite challenges from athletes, and equipment, Eliud ran a fine 2:04:00.
Kipchoge is old school. At 18, he won the gold medal at the World Champs in St.Denis, France. A runner who came through cross country, track, and in 2011, started to look to the roads. Success did not come easy, as Eliud learnt how to run on the roads.
Eliud Kipchoge won the AIMS Marathoner of the Year for 2015. Here is his interview by Andy Edwards of Race News Service, done right after Eliud won his award.