Powerhouse Behind Eliud Kipchoge's Famous Win

Eliud Kipchoge carried the weight of the world on his shoulder and wrote his name in history books, when he became the first human to run under 2 hours.

The world record holder, broke the INEOS 1:59 Challenge when he ran in a record time 1:59:40.

However, few know the real powerhouse behind Eliud Kipchoge's famous win.

Patrick Sang, the athlete's coach met Kipchoge in 2001, when the marathoner approached him and requested for a training programme.

"My relationship with Eliud started in a funny way, at a local championship in Nandi. There was this young athlete who would come to me and say ‘please, help me with a training programme.’ I would assume he was like any other athlete who wanted a training programme," Sang recalled in an interview with Lifestyle on the sidelines of the 2018 IAAF World Athletics Gala in Monaco.

He would help Kipchoge become a professional athlete and also aid him to open a bank account with after he earned his first cheque in a marathon. 

Sang discovered Kipchoge's marathon potential in 2012. He has stood by Kipchoge's side for 7 years, seeing him make a mark in the world.

"We started planning for his first marathon in 2012 and after making his (marathon) debut with a 2:05:30 in Hamburg (in April 2013), I knew he was a guy who had potential.

"We then focused more on what was possible and later he started knocking on the door (of the world record) with times of 2:04 and 2:03. He achieved some of these times when the weather conditions were not so good, so we knew there was more to come," Sang told the media in December 2018. 

Sang was a professional athlete. In 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, he earned Kenya a silver medal in the steeplechase before retiring three years later, ranked fourth on the world rankings.

Kipchoge was supported by 41 pacemakers who ran 4.8-kilometre stints in a V shape around him, protecting him from the wind.

The idea is a brainchild of Patrick Sang, his coach, who had tried to use a diamond formation of pacemakers in Berlin in 2017, when Kipchoge failed to break the 2-hour barrier. 

Another notable name is British Billionaire, Jim Ractliffe. The INEOS 1:59 Challenge was funded and organized by his British chemicals company. Before the race, Ractliffe sent his private plane to fly Kipchoge to Austria.

Finally, Kipchoge's wife, Grace Sugut, also travelled to Austria to support her husband. It was the first race Sugut attended ever since Kipchoge hit the tarmac.

Kipchoge ran into her in a lovely embrace after clocking 1:59:40 in Vienna, Austria.