Dose 3: Deconstructing the greatest marathoner of the modern era, Shawn Achor, COP26
Deconstructing the greatest marathoner of the modern era
đââïžYou canât mention the sport âmarathonâ without the name Eliud Kipchoge(read Eliud King Choge) lingering somewhere in your mind. Eliud Kipchoge is marathon and marathon is Eliud Kipchoge. That is how good he is!
đ°đȘThe 36 year old Kenyan became the third man to defend Olympic marathon title on August 8th 2021 in the Summer Olympics by clocking a time of 2:08:38. That finish marked the largest margin of victory(80 seconds) in Olympics since 1972.
đŻOn 12th October 2019, he became the first person in history to break the two hour barrier over a marathon distance. He set a new world record in the 2018 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:39 which marked the greatest improvement in a marathon world record time since 1967.
His achievements are so many that I fear you will get a rush of imposter syndrome if you dare to read them.
His lowest finish in career? He finished 8th in the 2020 London Marathon. That was his first loss in marathon since 2013! YES you read that right.
That leaves us with the question: Why is this man so good?đ€
Is it training? Eliud Kipchoge trains hard but donât other athletes do the same?
đȘOthers say that it is a combination of VO2 max, lactate threshold and running economy. Others suggest that it is his small body size- Eliud is only 5â 6 and 115 pounds. It is evident that a smaller overall body size is conducive to faster marathoners.
All these factors play a part in his success but it is his mindset that strikes me the most.
Eliud Kipchoge is one of the wisest athletes around. Here are some of his famous quotes
No human is limited
To win is not important. To be successful is not even important. How to plan and prepare is crucial. When you plan very well and prepare very well, then success can come on the way. Then winning can come on your way.
In the marathon, the first half is just a normal run. At 15 kilometers, 20 kilometers, everybody is still going to be there. Where the marathon starts is after 30 kilometers. Thatâs where you feel pain everywhere in your body. The muscles are really aching, and only the most prepared and well-organized athlete is going to do well after that. Iâll go with the pace, but after 30 kilometers, Iâll change to my own pace. And if youâre ready to follow me, then we can go together.
A fan of booksđ
A lot of people hate reading non-fiction books. Not Eliud though. He doesnât read fiction books.
There are no more loyal friends in the world than books. They have been a source of pleasure for me, allowed me to understand the world better and helped me grow as a person.
đKipchoge says that he reads for one hour every afternoon and then for another hour before bed. His favorite books are âThe 7 habits of highly effective peopleâ by Stephen R. Covey and âWho moved my cheeseâ by Dr Spencer Johnson.
đHe has also helped set up a library (Sandy Bodecker Library) at the Global Sports Communication training camp in Kaptagat, Kenya to encourage the trainees to read.
đĄThoughts:
đWe should make a habit of reading books. Personally, I have become a better person since I started reading books last year. It has certainly increased my vocabulary and creativity.
âIt is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds. In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours.â by William Ellery Channing
Humility
Eliud Kipchoge is a multi-millionare but he lives a simple life in the remote Kenyan village of Kaptagat.
Tom Reynolds from BBC took a trip to the training camp and here is a part of his description:
If it weren't for the rows and rows of ÂŁ200 Nike Vaporfly shoes on racks outside the two dormitories (one for men, one for women) you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a Buddhist retreat.
Despite his fame, Eliud does his share of cleaning in the camp. When asked why he doesnât being called the âboss manâ in the training camp, this is what he says;
When you become a boss, you don't think straight. It's better to be a leader than a boss. That is why I do my share of the cleaning. That is how to show the way to young people. I am trusting that I am leading them in a good way.
đĄThoughts: This should be a lesson for us to tame our ego. We should stop associating humility with being submissive or passive.
Master of consistency
Eliud Kipchogeâs training routine is kind of claustral. From Monday to Saturday every week, running is a religion.
Eliud Kipchoge is a master of consistency. This is what he tells Tom Reynolds from BBC
Our life here is simple, very simple. Get up in the morning, go for a run, come back. If it is a day for cleaning, we do the cleaning, or we just relax. Then go for lunch, massage, the 4 o'clock run, evening tea, relax, go to sleep. As simple as that.
đĄThoughts: Success is the result of consistent self-improvement-not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.
This particular quote from Angela Duckworthâs book âGritâ describes this phenomenon well enough.
ââŠexperts do it all over again, and again, and again. Until they have finally mastered what they set out to do. Until what was a struggle before is now fluent and flawless. Until conscious incompetence becomes unconscious competence.â
Recap:
Read books
Be consistent
Tame your ego
Tiny bits
BusinessđŒ- Tesla CEO Elon Musk sells $5 billion of shares a week after asking his Twitter followers in a poll if he should sell 10% of his stake in Tesla.
BusinessđŒ- Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms that he owns Bitcoin and Ethereum. The number of people on the sidelines is becoming less as each day passes.
Climateđ- More than 100 countries agree to slash methane in the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The surprising moment in the summit was when China and USA made an agreement to work together to tackle climate change.
Sportsđïž- Lewis Hamilton wins F1âs Brazil Grand Prix
Tweet of the week
âIt is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage changeâ Charles Darwin.
Quote of the week
Our power to maximize our potential is based on two important things: (1) the length of our leverâhow much potential power and possibility we believe we have, and (2) the position of our fulcrumâthe mindset with which we generate the power to change.
From the book âThe Happiness Advantageâ by Shawn Achor.
đĄThe mental construction of our activities is what defines our reality- not the activity itself.
No human is limited! Have a Kipchogey week, won't you?
Dennis